What's Left Behind
by HectorCat10
Summary: Recent events have left both Hinata and Shikamaru feeling pretty down. Feeling a little lost, they comfort and console each other. They become closer as friends, but Hinata starts to have feelings for Shikamaru. Shikamaru realises this pretty early on, but it isn't until later that he realises he has feelings for her too. -ShikaHina
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue**

_All I see is shattered pieces_

_I can't keep it hidden like a secret_

_I can't look away!_

_From all this pain in the world we made!_

Hidden in the shadows of the canopy above, a lone figure concealed himself from view, watching the road that lay before him. On the other side of the road, a taller, broader figure stood on the branch of a large tree, unmoving. Together, they watched the road, listening, waiting. A very faint breeze kicked up, and the figure standing in the tree stirred, smelling for any scents that the wind had carried with it. He made the slightest motion, moving barely a fraction, yet it was enough to catch his partner's attention across the road. He made a quick hand signal, telling his partner that their target was approaching. Dropping his hands, he moved into the shadows and stood, hidden from sight, quietly. He knew his partner had seen the signal, despite the fact that it was night time, and knew that he would also be moving deeper into the shadows. The two stood motionless in the shadows for well over an hour, waiting for their target to come into view. Whatever happened, they must not give themselves away, and failure of this mission was not an option. The target was moving closer to their positions, but she was not alone. One other travelled with her. He knew the drill, he would take down the target's companion, and his partner would capture the girl they had been waiting for. The pair of traveling ninja had passed beneath his tree, now was the time to attack. Carefully, he reached over his right shoulder and grasped the hilt of his shark-skin sword. He stepped forward, moving out of the shadows, and leapt down to the ground behind the pair of ninja. Releasing his sword, he swung it over his head and it went screaming toward the targets companion. The target reacted first, blocking the sword with her kunai. The little kunai hardly looked like a match for the massive sword, but she held it firmly against the rogue nin's sword. Unconcerned with the girl, the rogue nin cast her aside and attacked her companion. He swung Samehada, his shark-skin sword, toward the ninja, who carelessly brought up his own kunai to try and ward of the attack. Too late. He wasn't quick enough. Samehada had shorn though his left shoulder and was stuck in his torso. His forehead protector glinted faintly in the moonlight, revealing the symbol of Konoha, before he toppled to the ground, dead. The rogue nin turned around only to find that his partner had the target held in his Tsukuyomi genjutsu. A heartbeat later she lay unconscious on the ground. His partner, standing beside the girl, looked over his shoulder at him and asked "You ready, Kisame?" Kisame turned to face the ninja he had slain and pulled his sword, Samehada, from the limp body. "Let's go, Itachi" he said, turning to face his partner once more. Kisame hefted the girl over his shoulder, and turned to move off the road.

"Good work Itachi, Kisame" Pein looked down at the unconscious girl on the floor. How pitiful, he thought. Her hands and feet had been tied in preparation for when she woke. Her primary weapon had been removed from her body and placed on the other side of the room. If she got out of her bondage, she'd have to go through himself and four other Akatsuki members besides, to get to her precious weapon. In the room with him were his partner Konan, Itachi and Kisame respectively, and Zetsu. The girl on the floor stirred, blinking, she tried to push herself into a sitting position, only to find that her hands and feet were tied. She looked up, and saw the five Akatsuki members looking down at her. Pein looked at her and said "Well, well. You're finally awake, Temari".

Darkness was all around her. She could hear the faint murmur of talking luring her out of the emptiness. She fought it, she didn't want to leave. She knew that if she woke, she would face something – something bad, but she couldn't remember _what_. Dizzily, she stirred and tried to sit up. She found that her movement was restricted. Confused, she blinked rapidly until her eyes adjusted to the light in the room. Five figures stared down at her. There was something familiar about them. She looked at them a moment longer, still not comprehending who they were. Then, in a moment of confusion, she looked at their clothes. The guy standing directly in front of her was wearing a large black cloak with red clouds on it. They were _all_ wearing large black cloaks with red clouds on them. _The Akatsuki_… she looked up at the man standing in front of her, she could tell by the aura around him, and the way the others respectively kept their distance, he was the leader. He moved closer to her, and with a wicked grin spread across his face, said "Well, well. You're finally awake, Temari". She glared up at him. She opened her mouth to say something, but stopped when he straightened and turned to one of the other Akatsuki in the room. He spoke directly to the younger man. "Itachi, you will glean _any_ information regarding the one-tailed Jinjuriki you can from this girl. Use any means necessary. As I understand it, she has already had a taste of your Tsukuyomi genjutsu. Maybe she will loosen her tongue this time around." She stared at the leader. The young man he had addressed – Itachi – looked at her before replying "Yes". Temari's hands had been tied in front of torso, and while the Akatsuki members were preoccupied, she slowly and carefully reached down under her skirt. She had a hidden kunai there. She grasped the hilt and slowly began to take it out. She froze when Itachi looked at her, his gaze narrowed, but he shifted his eyes back to Pein. She pulled the Kunai out and severed the rope that bonded her hands together. "You won't get Gaara!" She yelled. She pulled her hands together and performed a memory sealing jutsu, sealing away all her memories.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter One**

_Every single day_

_I chase my own tail_

_Like a rat inside a maze_

_Gotta get, gotta get, get away_

Today was the day that Naruto Uzumaki, the number one knuckle-head ninja, was meant to be leaving with the Toad Sage, Master Jiraiya, to train. Quite a group of people had gathered at Konoha's main gate to say farewell. Kiba and Shino stood together by the gate, waiting for their sensei and the third member of squad eight to arrive. A Little distance away, the members of squad ten were conversing. Ino was quarrelling with Chouji about how he eats too much, Shikamaru was complaining about how it was such a drag to be out so early in the morning and Asuma sensei was telling him to lighten up. Squad nine, Gai sensei's team, was naturally the first to be there. Gai and Rock Lee were cheering about the power of youth, while Neji and Tenten tried to keep as much distance as possible between themselves and the other two members of their squad. The remaining members of squad seven were only just arriving; Sakura Haruno looked glum as she approached the main gate, and her sensei, Kakashi Hatake, trailed along in her wake with one of his Icha Icha books in hand. Gai looked up and saw Kakashi approaching. "Finally decided to show up Kakashi? You always keep me waiting!" Kakashi looked blankly at him. "Hmm? Oh, you said something?"

Rock Lee came running over to Sakura, shouting "Saukra! It is you! Is it not sad that Naruto is leaving? Do you even know how long he will be gone for?" Sakura watched Lee approach, and when he was finally standing before her, she said "Hello Lee. No, I don't know how long he will be gone for".

Amongst all the ruckus, Shino and Kiba stood patiently waiting until their sensei, Kurenai, showed up. "Hey sensei" Kiba said when he saw the red-eyed kunoichi approaching. "Good morning you two" she replied "where's Hinata?" "She's not here yet, but she can't be far off, right Shino?" Kiba turned to the Aburame boy standing beside him. "Right…" Shino replied, seeming as indifferent as always.

Shikamaru was leaning against a nearby tree, listening to Ino complain about Chouji's bad eating habits and how he would never get a girlfriend if he didn't start watching his figure when he looked up and saw Sakura and Kakashi standing with Gai and his squad. "Ino, look who's here" Shikamaru said, gesturing in towards where Sakura was standing. Ino's face lit up. "Hey forehead!" she called out to Sakura "Where's Naruto?" "How would I know? We only just got here" the pink haired girl replied to her rival. "Well, he's your team mate isn't he?" Ino retorted. "Shut up, pig!" Sakura shouted back to her. Kakashi, oblivious as always in the depths of his Icha Icha book, was surprisingly the first to notice Naruto and master Jiraiya as they came dawdling towards the main gate. "Oh, look. Here he comes now" Kakashi stated, pausing to look up for on only a brief second before returning to the pages of his novel. Sakura and Ino went from giving each other death stares to shouting out to Naruto. "_What took you so long_?" Ino complained when Naruto and Jiraiya were within ear shot. "Yeah, Naruto. Everyone's been waiting around for ages" Sakura agreed. "Well, you see, we stopped to get some breakfast on the way. Well, I did any way. Pervy Sage here was conducting his _research_" Naruto said, glaring at the Toad Sage. Jiraiya raised a hand as if to ward off the glare he was receiving from the blonde, hot-headed ninja. Naruto looked at all the people around. "Hey Sakura, why is everybody here?" Naruto asked, looking a little confused. "You idiot. They're here to say good bye to you" she replied "what did you think?" "Oh. I thought maybe something happened or something" "Or something…" Sakura muttered. "What was that?" Naruto asked. "Nothing" she grumbled. "Well, aren't you going to go and say good bye to people?" she said. "Oh yeah. Right" he said before running off to converse with the others.

Shikamaru watched on from afar for a short time before he grew bored and shifted his gaze elsewhere. He looked over at squad eight, Kurenai's team, and realized that there were only three of them there when there should have been four. _Kurenai, Shino, Kiba… and Hinata. Where's Hinata?_ Suddenly curious, he walked over to where squad eight was talking amongst themselves. "Where's Hinata?" The three present members of Team Kurenai turned to look at him. "Oh, hi Shikamaru" Kurenai said, "She's not here yet". "That's odd, you'd think she of all people would be here to say good bye to Naruto" Shikamaru replied. "Yeah, I get you" Kiba said. "Oh well, if she isn't here then she isn't here. Later guys" Shikamaru said as he turned to walk off. He was wandering around aimlessly, wondering when Naruto would hurry up and leave so that he could go and spend time doing nothing, when Naruto walked in front of him and stopped him in his tracks. "What'cha doing Shikamaru?" He asked. "Nothing. Being here is just such a _drag_, you know? I could be at home sleeping or something, what with it being this early. So, when are you going anyway?" Shikamaru eyed the blonde boy in front of him. "Going? Oh. Um, when I've finished saying good bye to everyone" Naruto said. "Who's left then?" Shikamaru asked. "Just you. And Hinata. But, she isn't here, so I guess it's just you" Naruto said. Naruto looked up at Shikamaru for a moment, then smiled and held out a hand. Shikamaru looked at Naruto's outstretched hand before offering his own. _A handshake_, he realized. "So long, Shikamaru" Naruto said with a big sheepish grin on his face. He scratched his head. "I don't know how long I'll be gone for, so, I guess I'll see you when I get back. Say good bye to Hinata for me if you see her." "Yeah. Later Naruto" Shikamaru gave the smallest of smiles back to the eager boy in front of him. He turned and watched Naruto as he bolted over to Master Jiraiya. "I'm ready to go now, Pervy Sage!" he stated. "Alright, alright, let's go then" the Toad Sage replied. Jiraiya turned to face everyone. "We're off. See you guys in a while". Naruto and Jiraiya picked up their bags and walked through the gate. Everybody stayed to watch them walk down the road – everyone except for Shikamaru, who turned to leave before Asuma could catch him and make him do some 'team bonding' activities such as go have a barbeque. Shikamaru was slowly walking away from the group of ninja at Konoha's main gate when he saw a flash of movement around the corner of a building just ahead. _Curious_, he thought. Quietly, Shikamaru moved towards the building until he was right at the corner of the building. He paused for a moment before walking around the corner – and came face to face with Hinata Hyuuga. The red colour of her face receded a little more. "What's up, Hinata?" Shikamaru asked the trembling girl "How come you didn't come to say good bye to Naruto?" The white-eyed girl looked up at him "O..oh. W..well, you see, I w..was…" the girl stuttered and then, sighing, gave in to herself. "I couldn't work up the courage to go and speak to him, you see. And now he's gone". The girl looked as though she might cry. Shikamaru slid down the wall and sat on the ground. The small girl beside him followed suit. "He says good bye to you. Naruto, I mean" Shikamaru told her quietly. Hinata seemed a little shocked that Naruto had thought of her even though she hadn't been there. "Oh.." was all she could manage to say. They sat together in silence for a few moments before Hinata looked back at Shikamaru and said "I uh… I heard that you and Temari from the sand village…" she trailed off quickly shifting her gaze from him to the ground. Shikamaru noticed the action and his cheeks turned a very faint shade of red. "Yeah, we finally got together. She's almost more than I can handle, though. Girls are such a drag.. no offense" "T..that's alright" she replied. She seemed more comfortable now. "I'm happy for you" she smiled up at him. _Too bad I can't say the same for you_, he thought. "Thanks" was all he said. "She was here a few days ago, wasn't she? I wonder if she got back alright" the shy girl said. "Don't worry. She may be a girl, but she's tough." Shikamaru looked up "someone's coming." It was Shizune. She was red-faced and out of breath when she came up to the two shinobi sitting side by side. "Oh… Shikamaru, I found you… milady, the Hokage, wants… to see you. Urgently" she said in between breaths. Shikamaru looked at Shizune. "What a drag" he said. He looked at Hinata, she looked back at him and gave a small nod. "Alright" Shikamaru said, turning back to Shizune "let's go". The three of them moved off towards the Hokage's building.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Two**

_When everything you do_

_Don't seem to matter._

_You try but it's no use_

_Your world is getting blacker._

The room seemed dark and gloomy today, unlike every other day. The Hokage, Lady Tsunade, eyed off Shikamaru. The young Chunin stood in front of Tsunade's desk, shifting impatiently under the Hokage's stare. Hinata could tell he was nervous, so was she, despite the fact that it wasn't her that the Hokage had summoned. She had no real right to be there, but when she had followed Shikamaru inside and Tsunade had asked her why she was here, Shikamaru had simply said "she can stay". Now she stood beside him, waiting for Tsunade to tell them why she had summoned Shikamaru so urgently. A few more moments passed when Shikamaru finally cracked and asked "Well, are you going to tell me why I'm here?" The Hokage took a deep breath before she began. "Five days ago, Temari departed from Konoha to return to her own village after beginning the preparations for the next Chunin exams with you" she broke off there, waiting for a response. "Yeah, so what? She should have made it back by now" he said. Hinata shifted her gaze from the floor to the lady Hokage before her "Has.. has something happened?" Tsunade looked to her for a few moments, and she could feel Shikamaru's relief as the Hokage's gaze moved away from him. "Yes" Tsunade said "something has happened" Hinata drew in a sharp breath, and sensed Shikamaru tense beside her. "Well? What happened?" the boy addressed the Hokage. "Temari was captured on her way back to Suna. By the Akatsuki". Shikamaru looked as though he had been stabbed "I thought we sent an escort with her" he said, "how do you know it was the Akatsuki that took her?" Hinata saw the Hokage's eyes had suddenly become sorrowful. She replied "We did send an escort with her. We sent Izumo. He's been found dead. Temari had been missing for two days when she suddenly turned up unconscious at Suna's main entrance gate this morning. She had an Akatsuki cloak draped over her". Shikamaru pushed his anger down and asked "Is she alright?" "She's fine. However… she has obtained amnesia. She can't remember anything about who she is or anyone she knew" she paused, looking at the boy in front of her who seemed to be growing more distressed by the minute. She continued "Her brother Kankuro was the one who found her. He's working with her, retraining her. But there's not much they can do about her amnesia… I know she was important to you… I'm sorry" she looked at him, but when it was clear she was to receive no response from him she said "You both can go now". Hinata looked at Shikamaru. _He looks so sad_… _poor Shikamaru_. He turned to look at her then, as if he'd only just realized she was there. There was nothing but sadness in his eyes. His gaze lingered on her a moment longer before he left the Hokage's office. Hinata went to follow him when Tsunade called out to her. "Hinata" The girl stopped and looked over her shoulder "um, yes, Tsunade-sama?" she asked in a hushed tone. "Don't speak of this" was all the Hokage had to say to her. "Right" the small girl said before leaving.

As she was walking down the stairs she thought of going to find Shikamaru to try and comfort him. She quickly dismissed the thought. _Shikamaru will want to be alone, besides, there's nothing I can say_. She hadn't realized how somber she looked until Sakura stopped her as they were passing each other on the stairwell. "Hey, are you ok?" the pink-haired girl asked her. "Oh. Y..yes, I'm fine" she said, showing the Hokage's apprentice a big smile before continuing down the stairs, leaving Sakura staring after her. All she could think to do was go some place quiet where she could think. She knew she couldn't be around people just yet, otherwise she would likely tell someone what had just happened without realizing until it was too late. She didn't want to go home and constantly be under her father scrutinizing eye. So she went down to the little bridge and sat underneath it on the small wedge of grass at the water's edge. Thoughts of Shikamaru and Temari went riffling through her head at first. The thoughts came and went, making her feel worse and worse until she was almost crying. Then she thought of Naruto, and she did.

A few hours later, Hinata was slowly making her way back to the Hyuuga's main house when Kiba came out of nowhere and pulled her up. "Hey Hinata, what's – hey, have you been crying?" he watched her for a moment. "N..no, I haven't been. I was just on my way home. W..was there something you wanted?" she asked her team mate. The brunette boy gave her a smile and said "yeah, there was. We have another mission. Kurenai wants to meet up with us tomorrow morning to brief us. We're leaving in two days" "Oh" was all she could manage to say. "We're meeting at the bridge tomorrow at 8 o'clock in the morning, see you there" and then he left as quickly as he came, with Akamaru bouncing around in the front of his jacket. She turned and continued her way home, and when she got there she fell down onto her bed and curled up. There she lay, unmoving, until it was dark outside and the moon was high in the sky. Today was the day that Hinata and her team were leaving on their mission. They would likely be gone for at least a week. Shikamaru had barely left home since that day at the Hokage's office. She couldn't blame him, but she hoped he wouldn't lock himself away from his friends. The most he'd done was meet with his best friend Chouji for a few hours they following day, and he'd spent as little time as he could with his team. She was on her way to meet her team at Konoha's entrance gate. She looked down at her feet as she walked – she'd always done it – and almost bumped into someone. She felt hands on her shoulders. "You should probably watch where you're walking, you know." Shikamaru said "You don't want to bump into everyone all the time" A small smile was betrayed by his sad eyes. "Where are you off to?" he asked her. "Oh, w..we're going on a mission. W..we'll be g..gone for a week. M..maybe m..more" she offered back. He sighed and said "oh" Hinata looked down at her feet again and said "I have t..to go. My team will be waiting for me" Shikamaru let his arms drop back to his side. "Right. See you later" he said, and they both went their separate ways. Hinata looked back once as she walked, but all she saw was Shikamaru's receding figure as he walked in the opposite direction.

As it turned out, she was first to the gate. But it wasn't long before Shino arrived, soon followed by their sensei Kurenai and then Kiba. They quickly checked their equipment and supplies. Hinata went through the gate with her team, unaware that she was being watched as she walked down the road with her team.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Three **

_Turned on the TV yesterday_

_So much pain bleeding through I had to look away_

_But inside me the picture's just the same_

_And every time I open up my eyes nothing seems to change_

Shikamaru sat on the top of the entrance gate watching as the four figures of Hinata's team dwindled down to nothing in the distance. When they were finally out of sight, he leapt from the gate and landed in a half-crouch on the ground. He began to walk slowly, not in any particular direction. As he walked, more and more people came out onto the streets of Konoha, forcing him to watch where he was walking. He wasn't really interested in talking to anyone at the moment, so he headed for home. He hadn't told anyone about what happened in the Hokage's office. He didn't see any point to telling anyone. No one but Hinata knew about what had happened to Temari, and he intended it to stay that way for as long as possible. He assumed that Hinata hadn't said anything to anyone as nobody had sought him out to offer condolences or sympathy. It was likely that the Hokage told some of the other nin, Jounin, ANBU, and most likely his sensei, Asuma. He knew that someone would have to be assigned to the preparations for the next Chunin exams with him as a replacement, but he hoped that they wouldn't choose anyone for a while. After all, they did have quite a while before any of the Genin and their trainers began preparing for the exams. He was so busy thinking, lost in his train of thought; that he almost walked straight passed his own home. Angling back towards his house, he stepped onto the small verandah and let himself in. His father wouldn't be at home, but his mother would be. He didn't exactly want to talk to her, so he kept as quiet as he could while he climbed the stairs to his bedroom. His room was relatively clean, although it had been getting a little more cluttered every day for the last few days. The sheets were shoved in a pile at the end of a bed and the curtains were drawn across the window, dimming the room. He hadn't left his room for the last couple of days except when he was out seeing Chouji, which was little enough, and when he was forced to spend time with his team, as well as for other necessities. He had gone out this morning because he had heard from Chouji that squad eight was going on a mission, and he had hoped to catch Hinata before her squad left the village. Well, he had bumped into her, or rather; she had bumped into him – almost. But it hadn't gone the way he thought it would. And when she did finally look at him, there was a small hint of grief in her eyes. _She's still getting over the fact that she didn't say good bye to Naruto before he left_, he thought. He flopped down onto his bed, breathing out a long sigh.

Shikamaru lay on his bed dozing when someone knocked on his bedroom door. Half opening his eyes, he sat up. "What is it?" he called out. The door opened and Ino marched Chouji into his room. Ino looked a little agitated, but that was normal for her. Chouji on the other hand, looked a little guilty. "I tried to stop her from coming, but you know what she's like when she decides on doing something…" Chouji said. "Yeah, I know. Ino, you're such a drag" He said, turning to look at the girl, who was glaring at him now. "Well excuse me 'Mr. Lazy', but it's about time you left this room of yours and came out with us. You've been cooped up in here for almost a week and a half now. You need a life" she sighed. Shikamaru knew better than to give her any sort of reaction. That would just encourage her to keep going on as if it were the end of the world. He lay back down on his back and looked up at the roof. "Well… put a shirt on! You're coming out with us whether you like it or not" Ino snapped. Grabbing the closest shirt from his bed, he slipped it over his head and stood. Ino marched him out of the room and down the stairs, with Chouji following in her wake. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Ino shoved him into the kitchen where his father was sitting. His father looked up at them; saw the unhappy look on his son's face followed by the determined face of Ino, and let out a faint laugh. Shikamaru glared at his father before saying "I don't know when I'll be home" Ino half dragged him out through the front door. "Alright then, you can let go of me, we're outside now" he grumbled. Ino released her hold on him and said "Right. Let's go, then" Shikamaru looked sideways at Chouji, who was shaking his head. Ino either didn't notice or ignored it. It was more likely the first. The two boys walked behind Ino as she made her way through the village. Shikamaru didn't have to ask where she was going; he could tell where she was headed. The barbeque place where their team had met up so many times before. When they arrived and Ino marched him through the door, he saw his sensei, Asuma, sitting down in one of the booths. When they all sat down, Shikamaru looked at him and said "I might have known. Ino may well have left me in peace if it weren't for you". They ordered their food and sat in silence for a few moments before Asuma spoke up. "You want to tell us why you've been locked up in your room instead of spending time training with your team?" he looked Shikamaru straight in the eyes. "No" Shikamaru said flatly. "It's not any of our business anyway" Chouji said "if he'd wanted us to know about it, he'd tell us". Shikamaru was glad to have Chouji here with him; he knew his best friend would understand him better than anyone else. Ino shot Chouji a death glare before turning back to look at Shikamaru. "Why won't you tell us?" she whined. "Because it's not your concern" he replied. Their food arrived, and they began eating. They sat together without saying anything until they were half way through their meals, except for Chouji, who was well into his second helping, when Ino said "You know; I heard that you and Temari weren't working together on the preparations for the next Chunin exams anymore. What went wrong?" "Nothing" Shikamaru said, a little more stiffly than he intended, earning him a puzzled look from Ino and Asuma. "Yeah, what's that about?" Asuma asked "I thought you guys had hit it off" That hit him hard, and it must have been obvious because Ino asked him if everything was alright between them and why he was being so tender about this subject. She knew he was never one for talking about personal things, but still she persisted. He stood up and said "as Chouji said earlier, if I'd wanted you to know, I'd have told you" before walking out. _This is exactly the reason I didn't want to come out in the first place_, he thought wearily. He walked down to the little bridge. _I can have a little peace and quiet there, hopefully._ He thought to himself. He was still some distance away when the bridge came into sight, but it wasn't until he was almost there that he could see that there was someone sitting on the bridge. He considered whether he should just go back home when he recognized Hinata. He walked over to her and sat beside her on the bridge. "Hey Hinata" he said. "H..hi, Shikamaru" she replied, looking at him. "It's good to see you outside. I mean, everyone s..said that you hadn't come out in almost a week and half" she smiled sadly up at him. _Ah, that's right_, he remembered. "You miss him, don't you? Naruto, I mean" he said to her. That seemed to catch her by surprise. "Uh.. well, I, y..yes, but that's not what I…" she cut off and looked down at the rippling water. _Huh? _he thought. "I..I'm sorry about Temari…" she said quietly.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Four**

_From the fire that burns inside, consuming_

_I fight to stay alive but I can't breathe_

_The voices scream, the enemy takes over everything_

_This is the madness in me_

Hinata walked quietly beside Shikamaru, trying not to bump into him. After he had shown up at the bridge and she had said she felt sorry for him, things got a little awkward. Hinata was never good with awkward situations, so she had quickly gotten to her feet, stammered some excuse about it being late and that she should be getting home and began to walk away when Shikamaru had said that he'd walk her home. Now they were walking through the streets of Konoha, heading towards the Hyuuga estate, with a sullen silence that had engulfed them the whole time since they left the little bridge. Just when Hinata thought that the silence would continue, Shikamaru stopped abruptly. It took Hinata a few more steps to realize that Shikamaru wasn't beside her anymore. She stopped and turned to Shikamaru. "What's wrong Shikamaru?" She asked him. For a few moments he just stared at the ground "Nothing" he said, before looking up at her with a wan smile on his face. _He is still so sad, you can see it in his eyes_. "Ok" she said after a moment. Shikamaru began walking again and the shy little Hyuuga followed suit. "We're almost there" he stated. Hinata looked at him from the corner of her eye, "Y..yes" she said. They walked again in silence until the Hyuuga estate was in sight. She could see her cousin Neji waiting for her out the front. She turned to Shikamaru then. "Thank you f..for walking m..me home" she said shyly. That made him smile. "Sure, anytime" he said, the smile fading from his face. "Later, Hinata" he said, turning away. She watched him walk away longingly, when, in a moment of boldness, she called out to him. "Sh..Shikamaru, wait!" The young Nara boy turned to her. "Yeah, what is it?" he called back. "Uh…" she paused, "let's do something tomorrow Ok?" Before she had gotten a reply from him, Neji called out to her, telling her to hurry up so they could train together. "Oh! I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow Shikamaru" she turned towards the estate, "Coming Neji!" She looked back at Shikamaru; he was still standing there looking at her. She flashed him a shy smile before running to go join her cousin.

Neji had been coming around to train with Hinata for a while now, ever since he stopped showing her animosity and got over his jealousy. Now he was overly protective of her. If anyone hurt her in even the slightest way, he was on them like a cat on a lizard. Neji sat across from her now, sipping tea after their training session. He looked up from his tea with a faint smile on his lips "You're improving Hinata" he said to her. "Th..thank you Neji" she replied, blushing faintly. After they finished their tea, Neji got up to leave. Hinata walked him out to the door, Neji knew the way himself of course, but he let her walk him there anyway. He stopped at the door. "Same time again tomorrow?" he asked her. "I'm doing something with Shikamaru tomorrow" she said. "Alright then, that works for me" her cousin said. She knew he would use the opportunity to spend some time with Tenten. Neji and Tenten were quietly dating, it was no secret, but they weren't making a bid deal out of it. He didn't say anything about her spending the day with Shikamaru; he only gave her a knowing look. She blushed. "Alright then Hinata, I'll see you around" he walked out the door. "Good bye, brother!" she called to him as he walked away. He raised a hand in response but didn't look back. Hinata retreated back into her family's estate and walked down to her room. It was late, and after her training session with Neji she was tired. Once she was lying on her bed, it didn't take her long to fall asleep.

Hinata rose with the sun. She gathered a change of clothes and a towel and walked to the bathroom. She shut and locked the door before stripping off her clothes and climbing into a steaming shower. Fifteen minutes later she emerged from the bathroom, washed, dressed and dry. It was 8 o'clock. _Time to go and get Shikamaru_, she thought to herself. She grabbed her wallet from her bedroom and stuffed it into her weapon carrier alongside her kunai and shuriken. She did one last check to make sure she had everything she needed before heading out towards the Nara estate. _Konoha is so peaceful at this time of the morning_, she thought, but she knew that soon the market place would be lively and the streets would be filled with people going to work and school. Shikamaru's house was just ahead. She walked up to the door and gave a nervous knock. After a moment she could hear footsteps moving towards the door. _Shikamaru_. But when the door opened the man who stood in the doorway was not Shikamaru, but his father. He looked at her. "Well well" he said, "It's not often my son gets a visitor of the female kind. Well, other than Ino. But she doesn't really count" He smirked. He gestured for Hinata to come inside and stood aside to let her pass. Hinata let herself be ushered to the stairs. "He's still upstairs" his father said, "up and then the second door on the left" "Th..thank you" she stammered before quietly tip-toeing up the stairs. She heard a faint chuckle from the bottom of the stairs. When she stopped and looked back, Shikamaru's father was walking into the kitchen. She turned back and continued up. When she reached the second floor she walked down the hallway to the second door on the left. The door was closed. She stood staring at it for a moment before she could muster up enough courage to tap quietly on the door. A groggy voice came from behind it, "Yeah?" Hinata paused a moment before opening the door. She looked into the dark room as her eyes were slowly adjusting. Then she stopped dead. A bigger, brighter bush than she'd ever had before crept up her face. Shikamaru was propped up against his elbows, and he was bare from the waist up. A faint sheen of sweat covered his upper body and as he moved to sit up the muscles in his abdomen rippled and tensed. She pulled her eyes away from his body to look at his sleepy face. He stared at her in puzzlement for a moment. "Hinata, are you alright?" he asked her, "you're as bright as a tomato" Hinata let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding in. "Uh… I, uh" she stammered, "sorry!" she turned away from him. She stood there for a moment listening for the sounds of him putting a shirt on. They never came. Instead she heard him get up onto his feet and walk towards her. She tensed up. "Hey Hinata, do you mind letting me pass?" Shikamaru asked from behind her. "Oh… sorry" she said as she side-stepped away from his door, not taking her eyes off the wall in front of her. Shikamaru walked past her and down the hallway towards the stairs, but he stopped when he realized Hinata wasn't following him. "You need to relax" he told her, "come one, you can't stand sentry over my bedroom all day. We're meant to be going out." He continued down the stairs. Hinata turned and nervously followed him. They emerged into the kitchen where Shikamaru's dad was still sitting, eating breakfast. He looked up at his son as he entered, then at Hinata as she followed Shikamaru in. When he saw the look on Hinata's face he let out a short guffaw. He pushed himself up from the table. "Alright, I'm off to work" he said. Giving Hinata one last amused look before leaving. Shikamaru waited until he heard the door close, announcing his father's departure before reaching for a shirt hanging on the back of one of the chairs. He turned to face Hinata, pulling the shirt over his head. When his body was covered, he saw her cheeks, which were almost purple now, start to fade back to normal. He chuckled.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Five**

_This is how it feels when you're bent and broken_

_This is how it feels when your dignity's stolen_

_When everything you love is leaving_

_You hold onto what you believe in_

After they had left Shikamaru's house, they had gone to the market place. There they had bought kebabs and dumplings to eat while they walked around and looked at the different stalls. For an hour or so Shikamaru let the flow take him where it would, stopping only when Hinata wanted to look at something in one of the stalls. Afterwards as they walked away from the market place, they were discussing where they should go next when, by chance, they ended up at the little bridge. "Why don't we buy some lunch and sit here for a while?" he offered. Hinata looked up at him with big white eyes. "Sure" she said, glad that he'd made a suggestion, "in fact, why don't you wait here and I'll go buy some ramen?" Shikamaru let out a sigh. "You know, I'm perfectly capable of paying for my own food" he said. Hinata looked taken aback. "I..I didn't mean anything by it, really" she stammered "I just meant - " Shikamaru cut her off, stepping up close to her and embracing her in a hug. When he released her she was as red as beetroot. "I know" he said, "alright, go" She gave a small nod, "Y..yes" before turning and running off. Shikamaru watched her as she ran around a corner, but as soon as she was out of sight, he retreated to the strip of grass under the bridge by the water's edge. He lay back on the grass with his arms behind his head. All sorts of thoughts and emotions were running through his head. He was thinking back to yesterday, when he'd bumped into the little Hyuuga girl here at the bridge, remembering what she'd said to him. '_I..I'm sorry about Temari_" she'd said. Remembering Temari made his spirit go down, but strangely he found that he wasn't as sad about it now as he was then._ She's been gone a while_, he thought. He was beginning to wonder whether or not she was coming back. _I wouldn't blame her if she didn't_. After all, he had given her quite a start earlier when he'd hugged her. He waited a little while longer before pushing himself up off the grass. Standing, he walked out from under the bridge and up the little grassy slope. He looked around to see if she was there. She wasn't. _Oh well_. He turned for home. He'd barely walked fifty meters when someone called out to him, "Shikamaru! Shikamaru, where are you going?" He turned to see Hinata standing by the bridge. _Oh great_, he thought, _I nearly left her_. He walked back to the bridge. He could see her face was flushed from running and she was catching her breath. "I got it into my head that you weren't coming back" he admitted. "I'm sorry" she pushed out in between breaths. "Here, let me take that" Shikamaru said as he grabbed the bag Hinata was carrying, not letting her object. He walked back down under the bridge and sat on the grass. Hinata followed him and sat beside him. He pulled two take-away containers from Itchi Raku Ramen from the bag. "One for you and one for me" Hinata explained, as if it weren't obvious. Shikamaru set one down before her and put the other on the grass beside him. There were drinks and chopsticks in the bag too. "You didn't have to get all of this Hinata" he complained, staring at her. "It's alright. Really" she said glancing at him before nervously moving her gaze back to the ground. They sat together under the bridge and ate. When they were done, Shikamaru gathered up the rubbish and put it back into the bag. He leaned back against the grass and stared up at the bottom of the bridge. Silence engulfed the two of them for a few minutes before Shikamaru sat up and said "You know, Naruto really wanted to say good bye to you when he left, but you never showed" A faint blush crept up on her face. "I th..thought he never really noticed me" she said. "He did. Even if he was a completely oblivious idiot" Shikamaru let out a sigh. Hinata looked at him sideways. "What do you m..mean?" she asked, confused. "Well" Shikamaru began, "everybody except for Naruto knows that you like him. He's completely oblivious" The blush on Hinata's face deepened. "E..everybody knew that I liked him? How could that be?" "Well, let's just say that you're really bad at hiding it, but Naruto is too stupid to see it. They don't call him the number one knuckle-head ninja for nothing you know." Hinata considered that for a moment. "D..does that mean that, if I'm so b..bad at h..hiding it, if I were to like someone else now, th..they would realize?" Shikamaru studied her closely. "Yeah, I guess so" he said with a shrug "why? Do you?" When she didn't reply and her blush grew deeper he knew. "Who is it? Has he realized yet?" he asked. She looked at him and said "I..I don't…" she trailed off. "What?" Shikamaru asked. She seemed to come to a decision then. She looked him in the eye and said "No. He hasn't realized. I'm certain of it." He looked at her for a moment. "I didn't think anybody else could be as big an idiot as Naruto, if not bigger" he said. "Oh no!" she blurted, earning a strange look from him, "he's quite the opposite really. He's intelligent. He just doesn't show it much" she grew quite. "Well" he said, "if he's really so intelligent he should have figured it out by now." Hinata was looking intently at the grass. "No.. he just been rather distracted lately. Not that it matters. He's in love with someone else." She stood. "Where are you going?" Shikamaru asked. She turned her shy smile on him. _Not so shy now_, he thought. "I've had fun today Shikamaru." She said, "thank you." He stood beside her. "You bought me out remember? If it weren't for you I'd still be cooped up inside at home" he paused for a moment, "let me walk you home again."

It was dark outside. His room was even darker. Shikamaru lay on his bed not wanting to go to sleep. _If I sleep, morning will come too soon_. He didn't want to have to meet up with his team mates. _It's such a drag_, he complained silently to himself. After staring at the ceiling for half the night he finally let sleep take him.

He woke to Chouji shaking him. "Shikamaru! Shikamaru get up!" He sat up dizzily. "What time is it?" he asked his best friend. Chouji looked at him with exasperation. "It's 11:30am" he said bluntly, "you want to be out of bed and ready before Ino gets here right? I'm doing you a favor pal." Shikamaru grunted and stood. He rifled through his closet for a shirt, one that wouldn't have Ino on his back about how he dressed, and followed Chouji down the stairs. Ino came marching in shortly after. "Good, you're awake" she said, "let's go." Chouji and Shikamaru followed her out of the house and into the street. Ino headed for the barbeque place. "Oh boy!" Chouji said. _Of course… what a drag_, Shikamaru sighed. They got there to find Asuma already sitting in their usual booth. "Well look who it is!" he said merrily when he saw Shikamaru. "Hmph" Shikamaru grunted as he seated himself across from his sensei. Chouji occupied the seat next to him and Ino sat next to Asuma. Shikamaru looked up to see his sensei eyeing him off. He cleared his throat. "Alright Shikamaru. I called you out here to see if you were ready to tell your teammates about what's been bothering you" he waited, but when he received no reply he said, "you know that I know, and if you don't tell them I will. They're your teammates. They need to know." Shikamaru let a look of annoyance slide over his face before putting his usual act on. "Fine, tell them. It's such a drag." Asuma looked at him, then at Ino and Chouji in turn. His teammates sat there waiting for Asuma to begin. "You sure?" Asuma asked him. "Yeah" Shikamaru muttered. And so Asuma delved into the tale of what had happened to Temari. Afterwards, Chouji was glum and Ino shocked. Chouji knew better than to say something, but Ino, being Ino, jumped straight into the whole "Why didn't you tell us?! We're your teammates!" To which Shikamaru replied "It was too much of a drag. And it wasn't really your business anyway." Ino studied him. "Did anyone else know?" she demanded. "Hinata" he said simply. Ino fumed. "You'd tell Hinata but not us?" she all but roared at him. Shikamaru sighed. "You have it all wrong. I didn't tell her. She was there with me when the Hokage told me about it" he explained, "I didn't tell you because of this" he gestured at Ino, who snubbed her nose at him but let it pass. Asuma spoke then. "After this" he gestured at Ino, "had passed, your teammates would have been there to support you. You should know that." "I'm not an object!" Ino said behind gritted teeth, "STOP gesturing at me like I am." Chouji, who was sitting beside Ino, sat as far away from her as the bench seat would allow. Across from him, Shikamaru stared at him coolly and Asuma closed his eyes. Ino sat there silently fuming for a few more minutes before slowly but reluctantly forcing herself to calm down.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Six**

_Slamming doors and cell phone rings_

_Hurricane force of silent screams_

_Don't know what to believe_

_Bend the rule just to break it_

_You're so tired 'cause you gotta fake it_

_But you just wanna be someone_

Hinata had just finished training with Neji and had gone out for a walk when Sakura found her. "Hey, Hinata, the Hokage would like to see you" the pink haired girl said, "something about a new mission." Hinata looked at her for a moment before saying "yes, r..right away." Hinata thanked Sakura before hurriedly making her way towards the Hokage's office. She walked through the streets until the big red building loomed ahead of her. She went through the entrance and began climbing the steps. When she came to the Hokage's door she knocked timidly and from the other side of the door there came the answer: "Come in!" Hinata waited a moment longer before pushing the door open and stepping inside the office. Tsunade sat behind her desk as usual while Shizune stood awkwardly behind her holding Ton Ton, who oinked when Hinata entered. "Sakura s..said you wanted to see me, milday?" Tsunade eyed the Hyuuga girl for a moment before speaking. "That's right. You have a new mission. We're just waiting for your teammates." Hinata, who was looking at the ground, shifted her gaze back up to Tsunade. "Oh, Kiba and Shino?" She asked hopefully. She knew that Kiba had gone on a mission with Neji, Tenten and Gai sensei, but maybe they'd come back? It had been some time since she'd been on a mission with her team. Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Sakura didn't tell you who else was coming?" Before Hinata could answer another knock sounded from behind the office door. "Enter" came Tsunade's answer. The door swung open and in came a very enthusiastic Lee followed by Shino, as indifferent as always. Next came Sakura and behind her was – . Her heart skipped a beat. Behind Sakura came Shikamaru. Shikamaru looked at her and she squirmed under his gaze. When everyone was inside the office, Hinata moved to stand beside her teammate, Shino. Now that she knew Shikamaru was a member of the team for her mission, she felt more comfortable having Shino, a member from her own squad, there with her. Making sure that Shino stood between her and Shikamaru, she turned back to the Hokage. Tsunade addressed them then. "I'm sure you're aware that Sakura has bought you here because I have a new mission for you" she paused to look at each of the present nin in turn. "Rock Lee, Sakura Haruno, Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyuuga and Shikamaru Nara. You are the team I have assigned to this mission." Hinata let out her breath – she hadn't even realized she'd been holding it. "So, what's the mission then?" Shikamaru asked. "There are bandits hiding out in the forest near our border with the grass country. They've been attacking small villages in the area and taking hostages. No one knows why they're attacking the villagers. You're mission is to find them and stop them. Rescue any hostages you find" Tsunade looked at the young nin standing around her. Apart from Shikamaru, they were all Genin. Even Genin should be able to pull off a simple rescue mission with a Chunin like Shikamaru leading them. She continued, "Shikamaru is in charge of this operation. The rest of you will follow his orders as your team leader. Lee, you are there for combat purposes, it may come to a serious fight." "Right!" came Lee's answer. "Sakura, you are also there for combat purposes and medical backup. The hostages may be injured and it's possible that your teammates will be injured on this mission. Help in any way you can." "Understood, milday!" "Shino and Hinata, your main task is to track the bandits. Find out where they're hiding. You will also be combat backup for Lee and Sakura if they need it." "Yes ma'am" Hinata said quietly. Shino nodded. "Shikamaru, you know what to do. Alright then, you're all dismissed."

Tsunade watched as the ninja filed out of her office and closed the door behind them. She waited until the receding footsteps faded away before letting out a sigh. Behind her, Shizune finally spoke. "Do you think they can do it, milday?" she paused, "I mean, they were a team put together mostly because they're who was left." Tsunade looked up at her assistant from where she was sitting. "Of course they can Shizune. With a leader like Shikamaru, they'll be fine. It's only a simple bandit-tracking mission."

Hinata moved down the stairs of the Hokage's office building with purpose. After a few minutes she could hear someone struggling to catch up with her. She slowed her pace just a little and kept walking for a few moments. Then, fully expecting it to be either Shino or Sakura, she abruptly stopped and turned – and Shikamaru almost walked into her. "Oh… s..sorry Shikamaru! I th..thought it was Shino or Sakura…" she could feel her face flush so she turned away quickly. "Is… is there something you wanted?" she asked softly. Behind her Shikamaru said "Oh, no not really. I just thought I'd walk you home. We have a few hours before we need to leave." Hinata was so flushed all she could manage was a tiny, gasped "oh" before she began moving down the stairs again. When she didn't hear Shikamaru following her she turned. Shikamaru was watching her. "Are you c..coming?" she asked him. He seemed to snap out of a gaze, "Oh, yeah" he said, before moving down the steps to join her. For most of the way they walked in an awkward silence. Hinata was desperately trying to think of something to say to break it. Luckily, she was saved that when Shikamaru spoke. "What's the chance of us being put on the same team for a mission? Guess we got lucky huh." Hinata looked side-long at him. "N..no, not really. I mean, everyone else is busy. Kiba went with Neji and Tenten and Gai sensei on a mission. Naruto is a..away…" she trailed off. "Yeah, but Ino and Chouji are still here. I wonder why they didn't get assigned to this mission too.." They walked quietly for a little while longer. As the Hyuuga estate came into view, Hinata stopped and looked at Shikamaru. "Th..thank you Shikamaru. I have to go and pack my things… I'd like to get in at least a little bit of training before we go. I'll see you later." She smiled shyly up at him before turning for home. She heard Shikamaru call out behind her "Sure, see you later. By the entrance gate." She looked over her shoulder and their eyes met for just a second before she turned her head back and quickened her pace. When she got to the front door she quickly opened it and stepped inside. She shut the door behind her and leaned heavily on it, letting out a sigh. She waited for her pulse to come back down to normal before she pushed herself off the door and moved down the hallway. She headed to her room to pack. She knew it wouldn't take her very long but she wanted to get it done so that she could train without having to worry about packing in time. She grabbed a few spare sets of clothes and put them in a small backpack. She walked over to her closet and began fishing through it for her traveling cloak. After a few minutes of shifting all her belongings around she pulled it out with a triumphant huff. Taking her travelling cloak, she picked up her backpack and headed out to the kitchen. There she took a few small snacks to have on the road and some food pills. She even grabbed a few of her special chakra pills, in case she needed them. She had the things she needed now, so she walked out of the kitchen and into the estate's training yard. Nobody was using it now, which meant she could train without worrying what other people thought of her fighting skills, and she didn't have to worry about her father scrutinizing her. She set up some wooden training dummies, a little away from the wooden kunai targets. She didn't want to get carried away in the middle of training and accidentally wreck one of them instead of the dummies. She stepped away from the dummies once they set up. She stood perfectly still for a moment, breathing deeply. She wanted to try out her new technique she'd been working on. She'd built on her gentle fist jutsu with her wind style chakra to create a lethal assassination jutsu. She hadn't quite mastered it yet, so she'd kept it a secret from everyone, even Neji. She moved into stance and performed the hand signs for her gentle fist. "Eight trigrams, sixty four palms!" She advanced on one of the wooden dummies and began attacking it if it were a real enemy nin and she were using her gentle fist to cut off all his chakra flow by disabling his chakra points. "Eight palms!" she moved around the dummy striking with almost perfect accuracy. "Sixteen palms!" She began to move quicker now, whirring around the dummy and striking all the would-be chakra points. "Thirty two palms!" Now she was moving so quickly that every time she attacked the wooden dummy, the force of being hit in one spot then almost instantly being hit on the other side was beginning to break the dummy. "Sixty four palms!" she yelled as she moved in to make the final blow where the heart would be. Here she fused her wind style chakra into her hand so that when her hand came into contact with the wooden dummy, hundreds of razor-sharp chakra needles tore through the wooden dummy's would-be heart and huge splinters ripped away and went flying everywhere. She came to a stop and stepped back from the dummy admiring her work when someone spoke behind her. "Looks like you've been training hard without me." She twisted around in startled surprise so quickly that she almost fell over. She caught her balance quickly enough. "Neji!" she gasped in a high pitched voice. "I didn't k..know you were back from your mission. How long have you been st..standing there?" He eyed her coolly. "Long enough to see that you've come far, cousin." Hinata's blush, which had started to creep away, came flying back. Neji walked over to stand beside her and take a look at the dummy. "How long have you been working on this technique?" he asked, genuinely intrigued and amazed now that he'd seen the damage up close. "Oh, uh… about a month." She said. She stood there for a moment, watching her cousin as he looked down at the dummy, before she remembered her mission. "Oh, Neji, I have a mission. I have to go!" She turned away quickly and walked over to where her backpack and travelling cloak lay on the floor. She shouldered her pack before pulling the cloak around her shoulders and began to walk off. She stopped then and turned back to Neji, who was standing there looking at her. "I don't th..think I could have achieved this w..without your help, Neji. I mean, you've been helping me w..with my training all this time… Thank you, cousin." She locked eyes with him and gave him a determined look before turning and heading through the house to the front door.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Seven**

_This life could almost kill you_

_When you're trying to survive_

_It's good to be here with you_

_And it's good to be alive_

Shikamaru was heading to the entrance gate. He wondered who would already be there and who they would be waiting on. As he neared the gates he could see Sakura and Shino standing by the gate in conversation. As he neared them he heard a call from behind. "Hey, guys! We are here!" He turned to see Lee and Hinata walking towards him. He waited for them to catch up. Lee all but frolicked over to where Sakura was, leaving Shikamaru alone with Hinata. He looked at her and noticed she looked a little different. She seemed more determined. "We'd better go catch up to the others" he said. They walked over to where the others were standing by the gate, and Hinata moved away placing Shino in between them. He could tell she was trying to be discreet, but he'd noticed it anyway. He looked at the others. No one seemed to have noticed, except maybe Shino, but it was hard to tell what he was thinking with his face almost completely hidden. He hoped it wasn't going to be like this for the entire mission. He pushed it aside for now. "Alright guys, we'll be moving out shortly, so let's go through our formation. While we're travelling, Sakura and I will go in front. If we get any direct frontal assaults, we'll need Sakura's combat skills, ok?" "Right" Sakura said. "Next up will come Shino, he'll be our scout. He'll send his bugs out to scout through the area we're travelling in so that hopefully we don't get any surprises." "Ok." Shino said indifferently. "In the rear will be Hinata and Lee. Hinata will use her Byakugan to keep an eye on areas behind us to make sure that we don't get any surprise attacks from the rear. Lee's Taijutsu and Hinata's Gentle Fist will come in handy if we are attacked from behind." "Yes!" Le exclaimed. Hinata gave a small, determined nod. "Alright then, let's go." Shikamaru said.

They moved out through the entrance gate and took up their formation before heading off. They were going to a small village, quite close to the fire country's border with the grass country, called Kinan. It was there they'd start their search for the bandits. They had at least two days of travelling ahead of them, provided they didn't get ambushed along the way. Shikamaru could only just hear the faint buzz of Shino's kikaichū as they swarmed out from their nests inside his body and into the forest to begin scouting the area. His thoughts shifted to Hinata, who was a little farther back and accompanied by Lee. It was probably better to have Lee at the back of the formation with Hinata; after all, Lee was a member of her cousin's team so she might work better with him than with Sakura. Obviously, out of all the ninja here, she'd make the best team with Shino, because Shino was a member of her own squad and they'd been working together for a very long time. In contrast, she'd make the worst team with Shikamaru himself. Not because they didn't work well together, but because she insisted on keeping someone between them in an attempt to keep him away. And there was the fact that their jutsus didn't exactly go well together. He didn't really fancy holding an enemy with his Shadow Possession while she performed her Gentle Fist. He'd receive all the damage the enemy did, unless he captured the enemy so they couldn't attack or run and then released them just before she landed her first strike, but getting the timing right would be hard. Squads were normally made up of ninja who's jutsus worked well together or who all had jutsus specializing in a certain area. Gai's squad, for example, had Neji with his Byakugan and Gentle Fist, Lee with his extensive mastery of Taijutsu and Tenten, the weapons master. They were a heavily combat based squad. Then there was Kurenai's team. Hinata, like Neji, had her Byakugan and Gentle Fist; Kiba had his Fang Over Fang jutsu and his ninja hound Akamaru. And then there was Shino with his kikaichū. Kurenai's squad was a tracking squad, but could be used for combat purposes if needed. Asuma's squad – Shikamaru's own squad – was a capture and infiltration squad. Chouji had his Body Expansions jutsus, Ino had her Mind Transfer jutsu and her new Mind Destruction jutsu she was working on, and he himself had his Shadow Possession jutsu and his Shadow Strangle jutsu he had been practicing with Asuma. He pulled his thoughts back to the mission. It would do no good for anybody if their leader was caught off guard by an attack or ambush because he wasn't focused on the task at hand. A bug flew by his face and he realised it must have been on of Shino's kikaichū. He looked back at Shino, who was now moving up alongside him. "What's up?" Shikamaru asked him. "My kikaichū has found something. I'm not sure what." He said evenly. "Alright" Shikamaru answered him. "Every one stop." He landed on a branch and turned to face the others. They stopped and looked at him expectantly. "Shino may have found something. Possibly no threat, but I want to check it out anyway. Shino and I will go and take a look, but I want Sakura, Hinata and Lee to go a little further and find a place to set up camp" he looked at each of them in turn. "Right!" Lee said. Sakura nodded. Hinata only looked up from the tree branch she was standing on. "Ok, let's go" Shikamaru turned to Shino, who nodded faintly. As the two of them moved away from the others, Shino leading, Shikamaru found himself wondering if Hinata was watching him as he left. He kept going without looking back. After a while Shino stopped and said "down there" before jumping to a lower branch. Shikamaru followed suit. On the ground beneath the tree was an upturned cart, its goods scattered all over the place. "The bandits must have come here. I wonder where the merchants are" Shikamaru thought out loud. "They must have been taken hostage" Shino replied. "Must have" Shikamaru agreed. He jumped down to the ground to have a look and see if there were any clues. When he found nothing he prepared to jump back into the tree but stopped when he heard a scratching noise come from under the upturned cart. He looked at it sceptically before he moved to lift it up. Underneath the cart were a few half-eaten apples and mangos and a broken twig cage. Huddling in the grass beside the broken cage was a grey ferret. Shikamaru kneeled on the ground and moved to pick the ferret up. The ferret, sensing Shikamaru's actions, leaped up onto Shikamaru's arm and scrambled up to his shoulders. "Whoa, little guy" Shikamaru muttered before standing. He called up to Shino "It looks like we have another member until we hit the first village."

Shikamaru stood and scanned the area quickly. _There doesn't seem to be anything else here_. A small flicker of movement near some bushes caught his eye. He jumped up to where Shino stood on the branch. Facing his back to the bushes, he leaned in close to Shino. Quietly, he whispered "Check the area around that bush" pointing discreetly with his thumb. Shino didn't move, but Shikamaru heard the buzz of a kikaichū as it flew out from Shino's coat and headed toward the bush. Shikamaru checked on the ferret still clutching to his shoulder while he waited. Shortly after, a faint buzz signalled the return of Shino's kikaichū. Watching out of the corner of his eye, he saw Shino give a small nod. With his back still turned, he squatted and performed a hand signal. After a moment he spoke. "You ought to have done better than that bush if you didn't want to get caught" he said, standing. As he stood, a figure rose from the bush, captured by his Shadow Possession jutsu. He couldn't see the perpetrator, but Shino could. A voice drifted up from below. "How did you know?" it asked. "As I said, you ought to have done better than that bush, if you didn't want to get caught" Shikamaru snickered. "He's an Iwa ninja" Shino said. _Iwa huh?_ "What's an Iwa ninja doing here, spying on us?" Shikamaru asked. "He's a rogue. His headband has been scratched" Shino noted. Shikamaru felt his Shadow Possession weaken slightly. His captive must have felt it too because he heard a low, sneering chuckle waft up from where the rogue ninja was standing. "Shino" he said. Shino nodded an affirmative. _Good, they're coming_.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Eight**

_Tonight, get ready for a fight_

_So now you know it's time_

_To ride my circus for a psycho_

_Round and round we go, look out below_

_Because I want off this_

_I want off this_

Lee, Sakura and Hinata were setting up camp in a small clearing they'd found. They were laying out their own sleeping bags, Shino and Shikamaru had theirs with them. Hinata's ears picked up a low, humming buzz just before one of Shino's kikaichū landed on her cheek. "Uh, g..guys? It's one of Shino's bugs…" she trailed off. "What's wrong Hinata?" Sakura asked. Hinata seemed not to have heard. A moment passed by in silence before she spoke. "They called for backup. W..we should hurry" she didn't wait for a reply. Activating her Byakugan she followed the kikaichū into the trees with Sakura and Lee close behind. _The camp spot wasn't that far away from where we split up, we should be there soon_. A few minutes passed before Hinata caught sight of them with her Byakugan. "There they –" she cut off short. "What is it Hinata?" Lee's voice came from behind. "There are three of them" she said. "Three?" Sakura asked, "who's with them?". "I'm n..not sure" she replied. Without realising, she quickened her pace so that she passed the kikaichū and landed with a soft thud next to Shikamaru on the tree branch. "Nice to see you finally showed up guys" he said with a half-hearted grin when Sakura and Lee finally caught up. Hinata recognised the Shadow Possession jutsu right away and could see the strain Shikamaru was under trying to keep it going. Sakura jumped from the tree and landed on the ground in a crouch. As she rose she performed a quick hand sign and created four earth clones. The clones immediately moved to surround the captive. "He's a rogue nin from Iwa" Shino said mildly. "Rogue nin from Iwa?" Sakura repeated. Hinata gave Shikamaru's arm a light tap and a small nod, signalling for him to drop his jutsu. Hinata watched the rogue nin. He sneered. "You kids think you can beat me?" he laughed, "come try!" Sakura's clones attacked with her ferocious strength, which she inherited from being the fifth Hokage's apprentice. As Sakura and Lee fought the Iwa nin, Hinata scanned the surrounding forest are with her Byakugan. At first all she could see were trees and rocks and even a small, babbling stream, but as she swung her head around she spotted a ninja cleverly hidden _inside_ a large rock. She also spotted a few of Shino's kikaichū moving away from the rock towards him. Turning to look at him, she waited for his kikaichū to reach him and tell him about the hidden nin. He moved his head slightly in her direction, and then the two of them were gone, leaving Shikamaru alone in the tree while Lee and Sakura fought the ninja below. They moved so fast that they were upon the rock before the nin hiding inside had any idea they were there. Shino kept back a little, giving Hinata room. "Eight trigrams, sixty four palms!" she launched straight into her Gentle Fist jutsu, incorporating the new technique she'd been working on with her wind style chakra. Threading her chakra through her fingers she released it in small sharp needles with each blow of her gentle fist. She put so much force into her jutsu that she caused the rock to begin cracking after the first blow. She moved so fast that the rock was at breaking point before the hiding ninja moved out of cover.

As soon as he leapt out from hiding the rock smashed and chunks went flying. Hinata had located him again before he even touched the ground and moved after him. The Iwa nin was focused on Hinata coming at him from behind that he didn't notice Shino's kikaichū moving in around him. Hinata drove the rogue nin into the cloud of buzzing beetles with practiced skill. This was a combined attack that she and Shino had performed before on many occasions. Hinata would drive the offender into a swarm of Shino's kikaichū. The kikaichū are used to help weaken the enemy because they feed on chakra. Usually they feed on the chakra of their host, but in this case, they feed on the chakra of the enemy nin. While they continually drain the ninja of his chakra, Hinata moves in with her gentle fist. Only this time, one thing would be different. She would incorporate her new technique with her gentle fist. She concentrated on the ninja ahead of her and realised that he had just noticed the swarm of bugs around him. She saw him hesitate. Then he moved off, into the shadows, and tried to get through the black cloud. No matter where he went, Shino would be there to drive him back into his swarming kikaichū. _This ninja is moving too fast! I can't keep up with him!_ "Shino!" she called out to him. She saw Shino drive the nin to the centre of the cloud with her Byakugan, watched as he performed a hand signal, then heard a yelp of surprise as the bugs closed around the rogue's feet and formed a chain that physically dragged him down to the ground and kept a tight hold on him. She knew that the more he struggled against the kikaichū, the tighter their hold on him would become. She darted in now, feeling her chakra pulse through her. She felt it building up in her fingertips and as soon as her hand connected with the nin's shoulder, it was released in needle-sharp threads, spurting blood from his shoulder and forcing him to cry out in pain. She spun around and, lifting her leg, kicked him in the chest, her chakra-needles severing the chakra point she connected with and the others in its direct vicinity. Her hand came down and severed the chakra points in his left knee and then his left thigh before her hand came up with astonishing force and clapped him in the jaw, her leg coming around behind his to trip him over. Once he was down on the ground, the kikaichū released their grip and Hinata came rushing down, driving her knee into his chest, winding him, before sending chakra-needles through his forehead, severing the chakra points and knocking him unconscious.

She pushed herself to her feet and looked down at the Iwa ninja. She watched as small red-brown stains slowly got bigger on his knee, thigh and shoulder where she had hit him. A small trickle of blood was dribbling out of his right ear, the only sign of the blow to his head. The damage would not be permanent, and he would wake up once his chakra points had mended themselves. She heard the soft thud on Shino landing beside her. He grabbed her elbow. "It's not over yet. Come," he said quietly, before heading back towards Shikamaru and the others. She hesitated for a moment, then she followed Shino though the forest. As they got closer to where they left the others, she could hear noises of battle. Noises that were far greater than those that should be coming from a fight against just one ninja. She caught up to Shino and then sped on ahead. Re-activating her Byakugan, she looked ahead to the clearing where the fight was happening. Sakura was still in combat with the rogue ninja, her earth clones gone, and Lee was using his tai-jutsu against a ninja that had appeared while she and Shino had been fighting the ninja hiding in the rock. And Shikamaru… he was in combat too. Or at least, he _had_ been in combat. He now had his opponent locked in Shadow Possession, but she could see he was struggling to hold it. His skills had never been in close combat so he would have had a difficult time fighting this ninja on his own. She watched as Shikamaru fell to his knees, his opponent falling with him. She moved faster. She raced toward Shikamaru as fast as she could go. She was almost there. She saw him double over and realised that he was at his end. He had used all of his chakra. She built up the chakra in her hands and clenched them into fists.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Nine**

_All alone, lost in this abyss_

_Crawling in the dark_

_Nothing to wet my longing lips_

_And I wonder where you are_

_Are you far, will you come to my rescue?_

_Am I left to die but I can't give up on you_

Shikamaru felt his Shadow Possession fade away. _That's it._ All his chakra was gone. He doubled over, exhausted. He reached into his weapon pouch, his movements slow and clumsy, and grasped the hilt of a kunai. He pulled it around in front of him as fast as his shaking arm would bring it, and the ninja was there, colliding with him, smirking, throwing him against a tree. He hit the tree and went down with a thud. The ninja threw a shuriken at him that he only just managed to deflect, and then the ninja was rushing at him again. His gaze quickly flickered to Sakura, then Lee, who were both still locked in combat, before coming back to the rogue nin who was now scant metres away from him. He pulled his other arm up and grasped the kunai with both hands, putting whatever force he could muster behind it. He tried to hold the kunai steady, ready to parry the blade that was glinting in the light as the ninja drove it towards him. He watched, bracing himself as the ninja closed in, and his hands slipped a little, creating an opening. The ninja lunged at him, but never got the chance to make contact. He felt a rush of air as Hinata flew past him, her fist colliding with the ninja's face. He saw what looked like.. _rage?_ and worry on her face as she threw herself at the rogue ninja. Shikamaru watched as the ninja sailed through the air and sprawled on the dirt at the other side of the clearing. He didn't get up. He let his shoulders slump against the tree, and quick as a flash, Hinata was before him again, posed, ready to attack if any of the enemy ninja came near. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before sagging against the tree and slipping into unconsciousness.

_Everyone's gathered at Konoha's main gate. Sakura, Lee, Neji, TenTen, Kakashi. Everyone. Except, where's Hinata? And why are they all here? Better go ask. "Hey guys! What's going on? Why is everyone at the main gate?" … They didn't hear me. "Hey guys – huh?" That's me. Standing over there with everyone else. What is going on? Wait… why am I walking away? Why am I heading to that building? Was that.. movement by the building? I must have seen something. What _is _going on? Hinata? Why is she sitting here, away from everyone else? Why does she look like she's been crying? Hold on a sec.. this is the day that Naruto left the village. Why am I here? I don't understand. What's going on?... it's fading.. ...what?_

His eyes fluttered open. He saw the orange glow of a camp fire. "Just a dream…" he muttered under his breath. He more felt than heard movement beside him. Turning his head, he saw Hinata sitting beside him. His gaze locked with hers. "I was so worried," she said quietly. He grinned up at her. "Aw c'mon, with standing guard over me how could anything happen?" he said with a hint of sarcasm. Her cheeks flushed red. _Huh?Oh.._ He pushed himself up, his sleeping bag falling down around his waist. He felt a slight twang of pain in his back and grimaced. Hinata made a worried noise and moved to help him. "Be careful!" she whispered. He propped himself on one arm and covered her hand with his. He felt her tense beneath his touch. Offering a small smile, he pushed himself to his feet and moved towards where Lee and Sakura were sitting by the fire. He sat down beside Lee. "Good to see you are awake," Lee said. "Yeah," Sakura agreed. "You had us a little worried, although, I don't thik anyone was as worried as Hinata was," she said, giving him a knowing smile. "Wanna fill me in on the details?" he asked, "What happened to the bandits?" He heard someone sit down beside him and turned to see Shino, his glasses gleaming in the firelight. "Well, we beat them," he said. "Obviously," Shikamaru said with sarcasm, "you wanna tell me how?" "Well, Lee and I fought the first guy. Until the others showed up at least. Then things got a little messy. Apparently Hinata and Shino had located a fourth ninja in hiding, watching us," Sakura paused. Shino took the moment to continue. "That's right. Hinata found him first and then waited for my kikaichū beetles to inform me before moving out. She handled it with great skill. It appears she has already mastered the new technique she has been working on. I only helped from the sidelines," he admitted. "You guys got back just in time," Lee added. "I'll agree with that," Shikamaru said. _She stopped that ninja_. "And the others?" he asked. "Sakura and I took care of them, do not worry!" Lee said. "After we beat them, they took their unconscious comrades and fled. I don't think they'll be bothering anyone again anytime soon," Sakura assured. "Right, well we have to get back to the village as soon as possible and report to the Hokage," he said. "Right," Sakura said, "good night then." She got up and went to her sleeping bag. Lee followed suit a few minutes later with an enthusiastic "good night!"

Once Lee had moved away Shino spoke up again. "You know Shikamaru, Hinata- " "Shino?" Hinata cut him off. "What is it Hinata?" he asked her. "Oh nothing, I just wanted to sit with you guys," she said quietly, sitting close enough beside Shino that they were touching. "Sure, no problem," Shikamaru said, "so I hear you handled that rogue nin pretty expertly today." "N..not really. Shino helped me a lot," she said shyly. "Not true," Shino said, "I was merely on the sidelines." "I couldn't keep up with him…" she went quiet. "It doesn't matter," Shikamaru said, "you still beat him. And then you helped me. Who knows what that other ninja would have done to me if you hadn't shown up when you did. Thanks." Hinata blanched. "I just wanted to keep him away from you," she whispered so quietly he almost didn't hear her.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Ten**

_Something woke me in the night_

_In the midst of the darkness I recognise the light_

_Now inside me the picture seems so clear_

_All the dying in my broken dreams is starting to appear_

Hinata could feel the warmth coming from Shino where they touched. The three of them sat in silence for a moment before Shino moved to get up. Hinata tried to stand when he did, but Shino put his hand on her shoulder and nodded at her. She slumped down awkwardly. "Well good night then," Shino said as he walked away. "Yeah," Shikamaru called after him. _What now?_ She wondered. She looked over at Shikamaru, who was staring at her. She blushed a little and darted her eyes away. She put her hands in her lap and started playing with her fingers. "Well, I'm going to bed now. Good n..night Shikamaru," she said quietly and stood. "Yeah, night Hinata," he replied. She moved to her sleeping bag without looking back.

She lay quietly; breathing softly while she waited for the fire to die down. When the embers were glowing softly in the fire bed she climbed quietly out of her sleeping bag. With a quick glance at the others, she slipped quietly into the forest. She walked through the trees, looking for a clearing big enough for her to work on her new Gentle Fist technique. She walked through the forest for another five minutes before she found a small oval-shaped clearing with two boulders that came up to her waist. She moved into the clearing and stood between the two boulders. Shifting into her Gentle Fist stance, she gathered chakra in her hands and feet and then launched into the jutsu. As soon as her hand connected with the rock, she released a burst of sharp chakra needles from her fingertips. A loud crack followed immediately. She spun around and kicked the boulder with all the force she could muster, releasing more chakra needles and cracking the stone even more. She brought her left hand up and as it collided with the stone she released enough chakra needles to shatter the boulder, chunks of rock flying away from her. She whirled around and sent a fist flying in the direction of the other boulder. Instead of releasing her chakra in sharp needles, this time she released it as one big force. Her fist smashed through the boulder, embedding itself in the centre. Half a second later she released chakra needles and sent the boulder flying in pieces around her. She launched herself at the falling rock-chunks, smashing them to splinters with needles of chakra so that by the time she finished small stone shards littered the ground. She moved on, pretending the trees were foes. As she splintered wood, a strong wind began to force its way through the forest. She ignored it as she attacked the 'enemies' all around her. She spun around and completely destroyed a small tree and she was about to launch herself at another when her body seized up. She couldn't move. She couldn't even look around to see what was happening. All she could feel was the strong, cold wind whipping her hair around her. She was about to engage her Byakugan when a familiar voice said, "Easy now, don't want to exhaust yourself any more than you already have." She sighed, "Let me go." Shikamaru released his Shadow Possession jutsu and she slunk to the floor. She sat with her legs folded under her, panting hard as a trickle of sweat ran down her cheek, despite the biting wind. She felt warm, strong arms wrap around her waist and pull her up, holding her steady. "I'd heard about this new technique of yours," she heard Shikamaru say, "but I wasn't expecting this. Actually, I'm not really sure what I _was_ expecting." "Oh," was all she could manage to say. She felt the warmth of his body as he held her up, and while she was admittedly a little thrilled at being touched by him, she knew she ought to make him let go. "You know Hinata, if we get sent on another mission together, things won't go well," he said. She was a little taken a back at this. "Why?" she wondered. "Because you always insist on trying to keep a person; a barrier, if you will, between us. Usually Shino," he replied sombrely. She started. "Yes, I suppose you're right Shikamaru," was all she said. "You wanna tell me why?" he asked in a tone that suggested he already knew the answer. "No reason!" she blurted, much too hurriedly to be anything other than a lie. "Right," he said shortly. "Um, Sh..shikamaru?" she stuttered. "Yeah what is it?" "You.. you can let go now," she said quietly. There was a drawn-out moment of silence before she felt his arms pull away from her. She sagged a little, feeling the sting of the cold wind where he had been holding her. "Let's go back," he suggested, turning and heading back to the campsite without looking to see if she was coming. She waited until he had passed into the trees until she followed, slowly, watching the ground as she walked.

By the time they got back to the campsite the wind had died down considerable, but she was still terribly cold. She knelt by the now cold fire bed and went about re-building the fire. As she sat, fumbling with the sticks, Shikamaru moved to sit across from her. They re-kindled the fire in silence and bright orange flames leapt up between them, spreading warmth. Hinata sat in the orange glow, warming her cold, tired body before she got up and went to her sleeping bag. She unzipped it and climbed in, making herself comfortable before zipping it up again. A few minutes later she slipped into an exhausted sleep.

She was woken the next morning by Lee, much too enthusiastic for the time of the day, who was shaking her vigorously. "Wake up Hinata! It is time to go back to the village," he said in way of greeting. She pushed herself up. "What time is it?" she asked sleepily. "Late," came the answer from behind her. She turned her head to see Shikamaru kneeling on the ground, packing his sleeping gear into his bag. She looked away quickly. She pulled herself out of her sleeping bag and packed it into her own bag as quickly as she could. She was quite sore and a little stiff from the previous night. As soon as the last of her gear was in her bag she called "Ready to go, sorry to keep you waiting!" She pulled her bag onto her shoulders. A firm hand came down on her shoulder and she turned to see Sakura looking at her, a little worried. "You need to eat first," she said sternly. "Actually, I think one of your food pills would do her better right about now," Shikamaru piped in. Sakura gave a short nod. "Ok then," she said, reaching into her bag and pulling out a small jar filled with Sakura's homemade food pills. She opened the jar and took one out, placing it in Hinata's hand. The food pill was as big as pebble. She stared at it for a second before putting it in her mouth and chewing it. Sakura's food pills tasted horrible, but when it came to proving energy, they had no equal. She swallowed it gratefully. "Alright then," Shikamaru said, "now that we're all ready, let's go."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Eleven**

_Times will be bad_

_Times will be good_

_Things I wish I hadn't done _

_And some I wish I would_

Shikamaru took the lead as the group of ninja headed back through the forest towards Konoha. He felt relieved that this mission was over. _Well, almost_. He needed to rest and clear his head. He had no doubt that once he was back it wouldn't be long before Lady Tsunade was calling on him again with a new mission. He just hoped that his next one was a nice simple mission. _Not likely.. She likes to work me hard. What a drag. Maybe I'll get sent on a mission with Chouji. That'd be a nice change_. He missed working with his best friend, and even Ino; just a little. _It'd be nice to be Inoshikacho again_. Not that they had ever stopped being Inoshikacho. They were all still part of the same squad, all still the same team, it had just been a very long time since he had been sent on a mission with them. Usually he was always being pulled out and made to take charge of other squads, or teams pulled together out of a hat, made up of ninja from different squads, like his current team. _Team Kakashi, Team Kurenai and Team Asuma_. It was more than likely that when he got back, Ino, Chouji and Asuma would likely have been sent on a new mission. _Can't wait for all this to be over_. He thought drearily. Truth be told, he was a little desperate to get back. He wanted a day or two to himself, not being bothered by anyone. _I'd be lucky to get it_. If by chance his team was still in the village when he got back Ino would likely drag physically him, quite literally, out of his house to spend time with them. Unless he managed to dodge her. _Sounds like a plan_.

They were making good time, and considering they had run into the bandits they were after only a day's travel away from Konoha, they should be back in the village by late evening. Behind him he could hear Lee rambling on continuously about the fire of youth and how proud he was going to make Gai sensei. It seemed he was talking to Shino, but as always, it was impossible to tell if he was listening or if he was off in his own little world. A few of his kikaichū buzzed around him as he jumped through the trees. A little further back, Hinata was sticking close to Sakura, who seemed to feel the need to keep a constant watch over her. She had apparently realised the extent of Hinata's exhaustion. But then again, she was a medic, so it made sense that she was more acutely aware of the welfare of her teammates. Although they weren't talking, the way they stuck together made it seem like they had a secret that no one else could know about. _Eh, girls_. He sighed. He jumped through the next couple of trees and then landed on the ground. "Alright guys, take a rest. 15 minutes ok? Then we gotta get going," he said coolly. "You're in a hurry," Sakura said. "Yes," Lee agreed, "why?" "I just want to get home," he replied. "Agreed," Shino put in. Shikamaru sat down, leaning against a tree. He took out his water-skin and took a drink. Then, leaning his head back, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He sat like that for a few minutes, enjoying the respite, before opening his eyes and pushing himself to his feet. He walked around the immediate area, just casually, looking around and the small scuttling creatures. _It's not half bad out here_, he admitted to himself, _but I would rather be staring at my ceiling right about now_. He took another drink from his water-skin and headed back to his team. "Alright guys, c'mon," he said, waiting patiently for them all to get up. The first one ready to leave was Hinata, who seemed all too eager to be on her way again. "You're certainly keen to get home," he pointed out. Her head turned towards him, her eyes making brief contact with his, before she whipper her head away again. A faint blush was on her cheeks. "I have to train," was all she said. "We both know that's not the reason. Or not the whole reason at least," he said quietly enough for only her to hear. Her blush grew a little deeper, but she said nothing more. He shrugged and turned back to the rest of his team. "Let's go," he said.

The rest of the day went by quickly and without incident. Just as the sun had started to sink Konoha's main gate came into view. "Nearly there, guys," he said more to himself than to his team. He could have put in that little bit of extra effort to get home just that little bit sooner, but he really couldn't bothered. _At least it's in sight_. Another ten minutes saw the five of them standing at the entrance gate, being greeted by Kotetsu and Izumo, the two Chunin usually left in charge of the main entrance gate. "Alright," Kotetsu said "let's get you all marked down as returned. Team leader?" "That'd be me," Shikamaru said. "Alright then. Nara, check. And the rest of you. Hyuuga.H, Haruno, Aburame and Rock. Alright, all good here. Thanks." Kotetsu said with a smile. Shikamaru waved at the two boys and moved towards the Hokage's office, his team following. The sky had already darkened considerable by the time Shikamaru knocked on Tsunade's door. He heard a sharp "Enter!" and mentally prepared himself for not even he knew what. He turned the handle and stepped inside, followed by Shino and Lee, then Hinata and finally Sakura. As soon as the pink haired girl entered the room, Ton Ton raced across the floor and leapt into her arms with a loud "oink!" Sakura laughed, "yes it's good to see you too Ton Ton." She stroked the pig and then placed her gently on the ground.

Tsunade sat waiting. "Well?" she asked. "The mission was a success," was all he said. "Clearly. Why are you back so early?" Tsunade replied. "We ran into the bandits only a day's travel from Konoha," he answered. "Did you identify where they were from?" "They were rogue ninja from Iwa, Hokage" he said. "How many were there Shikamaru?" She asked. "Four. We came across the first one when we stopped to set up camp. While Lee, Sakura and I were distracted with the first, Hinata located a second ninja and she and Shino took care of him. While they were busy with that guy however, another two showed up. They got back just in time. One of them had me in a tight jam, but Hinata got there in time to stop him." He explained. "Hmm, I see," was all she said. After a moment she nodded and said "Alright, you can all go. Thank you." As they turned to leave she spoke up "Shikamaru. Hinata." They both stopped and turned to look at her. "I want the both of you to report back here in two days for a new mission. Understood?" "Yes ma'am," they replied simultaneously.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Twelve**

_This is how it feels when you take your life back_

_This how it feels when you finally fight back_

_When life pushes me I push harder_

_What doesn't kill me makes me stronger_

Hinata walked silently down the stairs from the Hokage's office. Shikamaru walked beside her. _No more running_, she thought. She looked at him from the corner of her eye. "It's good to be back," she said, taking him by surprise. Clearly he hadn't expected her to say anything. "Yeah. But we have to leave again in two days. It's such a drag," he plodded down the stairs. "What are you going to do?" he asked. She looked at him fully now. "Not resting, that's for sure. I have to train," she said stubbornly. "Why? You're just going to overwork yourself," he said in a matter-of-fact tone. "It doesn't matter. I've got to train hard, all the time, because…" she trailed off. "..because?" he drew it out. Hinata gave him a serious look. "Because my father thinks I'm not good enough to be the Hyuuga heir. He thinks I'm weak. He want's my younger sister to be the one to inherit everything, but she can't, because I'm the oldest." She paused. "At least Neji is willing to help me train now." They were outside now, walking through the streets. Neither one of them said anything until Shikamaru stopped. She noticed that they were close to his house. "Alright," he said, "I'm heading home now. Later Hinata." He headed towards his house but stopped again after a few steps. He looked at her over his shoulder. "Your dad is wrong, you know, about you being weak. The Hyuuga clan would benefit from a leader like you," he said with certainty. He looked back towards his house and walked away, half raising his hand in a wave. She watched him go. "Thanks Shikamaru," she whispered. She turned and headed down the road towards the Hyuuga estate. It was dark now, and she walked slowly through the cool night air, not all that eager to return to her father's harsh words and disappointed looks. She tried to think of ways that she could further develop her new technique.

As the estate came into view she slowed her pace even more, prolonging the time until she had to walk through the front door. Slowly the house crept closer, until she was standing on the landing in front of the door. Then she stopped completely and stood, staring, at the door. She stood staring for so long, not daring to go in. Maybe she would just come back in the morning. Her father wouldn't appreciate her returning from a mission so late into the evening. He would be busy training her sister Hanabi. She looked down at her feet and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath, and then opened her eyes. She turned around – and bumped into Neji, who apparently had been standing there for some time. She stepped back, mumbling "Sorry cousin. I was just leaving," even though she knew that he would know she was lying. She felt him put his hand on her head in an almost affectionate manner. "No, you were just going in," he said. Grabbing her gently by the shoulders, he turned her back to the door. He took her arm in his and opened the door, stepping inside and giving Hinata no chance but to follow. They walked down the narrow hallway that lead to the dining area. They enetered the small room and Hinata stopped short, jerking Neji to a halt. Her mother, father and sister were all sitting around the table, actually acting like a family, when her father should have been training Hanabi. Her father's face changed when he saw her, he had been smiling slightly, but now he was scowling. "You know I don't appreciate you returning so late from missions, you disturb the peace when you come and go so late Hinata," he said stoically. "Sometimes it can't be helped uncle, you ought to know that," Neji said. "I suppose you're right Neji, but still, don't come back until morning next time Hinata," he said without looking at her. She felt Neji's hold on her arm tighten a little. Her mother looked at her sympathetically. "Come Hinata, sit down and have something to eat. You must be hungry," she said kindly. As she did so, her father stood. Hanabi quickly followed suit. His scowl deepened. _No more_. She looked at her mother. "No thank you mother, I..I only came back to get a few things, I'm going on another mission," she completely ignored her father and younger sister. Without waiting for a reply she pulled her arm away from Neji's and went to her room. She put her backpack on her bed and went to her drawers. She took out a set of clean clothes. She already had everything else packed. Shoving the clothes into her bag as best she could, she closed up her bag and left her room. She didn't bother stopping as she went past the dining room, she just walked past without saying anything. The door closing behind her would tell them she had gone. She reached for the handle and opened the door. She stepped outside and closed the door noisily, knowing it would irritate her father. She found Neji waiting for her outside. "Alright then, let's go," he said. "Go where?" she asked, confused. "You're not actually going on another mission. Not yet anyway. I ran into Shikamaru on his way home before coming here. I was visiting Tenten," he said. She smiled at him. "Just visiting," she paused "Did Shikamaru tell you anything? About the mission?" "Just that you overworked yourself while you were out there, taking out two rogue ninja and then pushing yourself to train when you should have been sleeping and getting your strength back. Hinata, that won't help you to get stronger, it will just exhaust you. That will make you weaker," he looked concerned, "no training between now and your next mission. You'll stay at my place while you're back, and you'll rest." She knew better than to argue with her cousin, so she went along with him to his house.

When they got there, her uncle, her father's twin brother, greeted her kindly. She loved her uncle dearly. She set herself up in the spare room and went out to sit with her uncle and cousin. "So Hinata, how was the latest mission?" Hizashi asked. "Well, th..thank you uncle," she replied shyly. "She took out two of the rogue ninja herself," Neji provided more insight for his father. "No!" Hinata said hurriedly, "not by myself. Shino and Shikamaru helped me a lot." "Come now Hinata, that's not what Shikamaru told me. And why would he lie about that?" he said. "Well… I used the technique you've been h..helping me with brother," she said, as if she could somehow give Neji all the credit for it. "Now, now," Hizashi said, "you've been training hard and it's paid off. Take the credit for it Hinata. I should like to see this technique of yours before you go, but not now. Now you should rest." Hinata looked up at him. He looked so much like her father, but at the same time, he looked nothing like him. Her father, Hiashi, was cruel and always disappointed in her. He had never showed her kindness. He favoured her younger sister Hanabi over her, and he even favoured Neji over her. Hizashi however, was always kind to her and viewed her as an equal to Neji. He also believed that she surpassed her sister by far and that she was as worthy an heir to clan as any. He also knew that she would sign over all her rights as heir and successor to the Hyuuga clan to Neji in the blink of an eye if given the opportunity. "Alright," she said, "good night uncle Hizashi, good night Neji." She stood and went back to her room, turning off the light and stretching out on her bedding.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Thirteen**

_Angry words and honking cars_

_Satellites and falling stars_

_Distant dark blue radios that whisper down my boulevard_

_Ghosts and chains rattle in the attic_

_Broken headphones filled with static_

_Lonely room you've got nowhere to run…_

Shikamaru lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. It was already lunch time, but he had yet to emerge from the comfort of his dark room. He laid there, thinking about the last mission and how Hinata had gone off to train in the middle of the night. He had followed her while she searched for a good area to use, and he watched her as she completely destroyed the boulders and trees around her. He remembered sitting there amazed at how strong she was. You would never have guessed that behind her shy mask there was this fierce beauty. He watched how she seemed to move with both ferocity and grace. He would have never expected her to use her Gentle Fist in such a way. It had taken him a while to figure out what her technique was. His sensei, Asuma, had the Chakra element of wind, just like Naruto and, he suspected, Hinata. He had seen how Asuma uses his chakra to enhance his knuckle blades by physically changing the nature of his chakra, controlling and shaping it. He had also seen the very early stages of Naruto's Rasengan, with is the same thing only he shapes the chakra into a ball in his hand. He suspected that Hinata was doing something like this with her Gentle Fist. If he watched her closely while she was training, he could see her releasing the chakra each time her hand of foot connected with the target during her Gentle Fist. The chakra had been shaped into needles. He knew the Gentle Fist was used for disabling the opponent's ability to use his or her chakra, and this new technique would prove effective in disarming a foe, especially a dangerous one, by not only closing the chakra gateways but severing them. As he watched her, he realized that she wasn't going to let up any time soon, and he could see that she was overworked enough already. Kneeling on one knee, he had performed a hand sign, activating his Shadow Possession jutsu.

A loud, impatient knock rattled the front door below his window, pulling him back to reality. The door opened and he could hear the voice of his father. "Hey there Ino, Shikamaru's in his room." Shikamaru groaned. _Damn it dad!_ "Thanks Shikaku!" came her reply. Shikamaru pushed himself out of bed, imaging Ino stomping down the hall to the stairs. He didn't have time to grab a shirt if he wanted to evade her. Walking over to his window, he drew the curtain across, light flooding into the room, and pushed the window open. He stuck his head out and saw his father looking up at him from below, smirking. He could hear Ino coming up the stairs now. Hoisting himself up onto the window sill, he reached out of the window and grabbed the edge of the roof with both hands. He could hear his father laughing softly at him from below. He ignored it. Gripping the edge of the roof tightly, he pulled himself up and swung his leg onto the roof. He quickly pulled up his other leg. He heard his bedroom door open. He heard a loud "Shikamaru!" followed by silence and then "What the-?" He quietly slithered away from the edge, moving further across the roof. He heard Ino call out "He's not here Shikaku! Are you sure he didn't leave already?" and in his head he could see Ino leaning half way out the window shouting down at his father. "Must've slipped out without me noticing. Sorry Ino," his dad said. "That's ok," she called back, "but when I find him!" she didn't need to elaborate. Shikaku knew what she meant, and so did Shikamaru. He groaned mentally. He heard his bedroom door shut. He lay down on the roof, the tiles cool against his bare back. _At least it's not a hot day_. He heard Ino say good bye to his father and then heard the front door shut. A few minutes later he heard his bedroom door open again. _Dad_. He didn't move. A few minutes of silence passed, then "You can come down now Shikamaru. She's out of sight." He let out a sigh of relief and rolled onto his stomach. He pushed himself up and moved to the edge. He sat, dangling his legs over the side. "Ones of these days," he said. "Yeah," his father agreed. Twisting around, he gripped the roof's edge and swung himself back into his room. "You can't dodge her forever kid," Shikaku said. "Yeah I know, but she's just such a drag," he complained. His father chuckled and walked out of his room. He flopped on his bed and stretched, shutting his eyes. He drifted to sleep.

What felt like a few minutes later, but was in reality several hours later, he was woken by someone gripping his arms and rocking him. "Come _on_ Shikamaru! Wake up!" He opened his eyes to slits. The sun was still up and there was enough light in his room for him to see a flash on pink. _Sakura. Dad's letting just about everyone in now. Well, at least it's not Ino_. He made a noise to let Sakura know he was awake and then rolled over, turning his back to her. She let out a frustrated sigh before sitting down on the bed beside him and leaning against his back. She sat for a minute without saying anything. "A bunch of us are getting together to socialize tonight. You should come." She said. "No thanks," he mumbled. "Shikamaru, you can't spend all day and all night cooped up in here. You're coming," she sounded resolute. "Who's going?" he asked. "Pretty much everyone. The only people that won't be there are Kiba, because he's on a mission, and Lee because he's training with Gai sensei," she answered. He rolled back onto his back. She had still been leaning on him, so she ended up half-laying with her head on his stomach. "Hinata?" he asked. She looked up at him, smiling. "Neji's making her come too. He won't let her out of his sight," she said, "if he does, she'll tire herself out training. I hear he hasn't let her do any at all since we got back." "That's good," he said, "I'll think about it, ok?" Sakura sat up. She leaned over him and grabbed both his arms. She pulled him into a sitting position the go off the bed and pulled him with her. "You _are _coming Shikamaru. Get dressed." She said. She stood there, waiting for him to move. "What are you waiting for?" "Well I'm not getting dressed in front of you," was all he said. A very faint blush crept across her face. She choked out an "Oh," before turning and leaving the room, closing the door behind her. He knew she was waiting outside the door because he didn't hear any footsteps leading down the hall. _Can't escape this time. She's faster than me_. He grabbed a clean pair of pants and swapped them with the ones he was wearing. He pulled a clean shirt over his head and pulled his shoes out from under his bed. He put them on and walked over to the door, opening it. When it opened Sakura, who had been leaning on it, fell backwards into Shikamaru, who caught her. "Careful there," he said, steadying her. He moved past her and headed down the hall.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fourteen**

_Every day you need a bulletproof vest_

_To save yourself from what you could never guess!_

_Am I safe today?_

_When I step outside in the wars we wage!_

Hinata walked through the lamp-lit streets with Neji. They were meeting up with all the others, except the ones that weren't there. She thought of Kiba, her teammate, on a mission with Kurenai sensei and Akamaru. She thought of Lee, training with Gai sensei. She wished she could be home training. But Neji wouldn't let her. Then she remembered Naruto. She was surprised at the lack of emotion she felt now when she thought of him. She still felt sad that he wasn't here. She still missed him. But that was it. She appreciated that Neji was content to walk with her in silence. On and on they went, heading towards the market place where they were meant to meet up with the others. They passed Ichiraku Ramen on the way, making Hinata miss Naruto even more. _I'll come back to Ichiraku tomorrow_, she promised herself. After they turned a corner, the smells of the market place wafted over them. Neji guided her to where they were supposed to meet the others. Tenten was already there. Hinata smiled and waved at her as they got closer. She came up to them and slipped her hand into Neji's. She knew they would take advantage of the fact that it was only her with them at the moment, and since she already knew about them and they knew she wouldn't say anything, they didn't hide much from her.

The three of them found an area to sit nearby the meeting place and waited for the others to show up. Hinata didn't follow Neji and Tenten's conversation. She was off in her own little world, waiting. A short while later Hinata spotted Sakura coming towards them with Shikamaru in her wake. She noticed Neji and Tenten let go of each other's hands and shuffle ever so slightly away from each other. She got up and greeted Sakura, waving at her as she walked towards them. "Hey Hinata," she said cheerily. She indicated at Shikamaru, who was a few steps behind, and with a wink Sakura walked over to Neji and Tenten to talk to them. Hinata waited for Shikamaru to come up to her before she said anything to him. When he stopped in front of her she looked up at him with a small smile. "Hello Shikamaru," she said, "let's go to the others." She turned to walk back and her heart leapt into her throat when Shikamaru took her hand and walked beside her. "I hear Neji won't let you train," he said casually. "Th..that's right. H..he wants me to r..rest. But I think that h..has a lot to do with y..you Shikamaru," she could feel the heat in her face. "Probably," he admitted. They reached where the others were sitting and Shikamaru sat down, pulling Hinata down by the hand. Her blush had gone down but was still there for them all to see if any of the others missed the fact that they were _holding hands_. "About time," Sakura said gawking at them. She had the biggest smile on her face. Neji was pretending not to notice anything, but she knew he had. _Thank you brother_. Neji looked her in the eyes and was caught off guard. She had been giving him such a look of love and adoration that he himself blushed a little and quickly turned his head away. The group lapsed into silence.

"You know, you see all sorts of things when people don't know you're here," Shino's voiced said. Hinata looked up into a nearby tree and sure enough there he was, sitting there watching them. "Come down Shino!" Tenten called, "how long have you been there?" He jumped down and landed softly on his feet. "I was the first here," he stated simnply. "Wha-?" was all she could manage, realizing that he would have seen her and Neji together. "That's not nice Shino, you should have shown yourself as soon as Tenten got there," Hinata berated him. "You're probably right Hinata, but I like secrecy you know," he said to her before turning to Tenten and Neji. "Don't worry," was all he said. Tenten seemed to calm down. "Ok," she breathed. From across the road Ino called out "What's up guys? Sorry to keep you waiting!" She and Chouji crossed the road and walked over to them. When Ino spotted Shikamaru her face changed slightly. "Shikamaru! You-" she cut off when she saw Hinata's hand in his. "Oh never mind," she shrugged. Hinata heard Shikamaru let out a relieved sigh. "It appears everyone is here now," Shino said, "what now?" Hinata looked around at each of the group. _Neji, Tenten, Shino, Shikamaru, Chouji, Ino, Sakura…_ "Well why don't we all go and get food and meet up on the bridge?" Sakura suggested. "Yeah, ok," Shikamaru agreed. "It's settled then," Shino said, "shall we?" Shino stood for a moment longer before moving off to get food. Neji and Tenten were next to go. Sakura and Ino went off together And Chouji seemed to be debating whether he should follow them or go off on his own. Eventually, he decided to go alone, probably so he could buy a lot of food and eat most of it before meeting up with the others. That way Ino wouldn't be on his back about how much food he eats.

Shikamaru let go of her hand and lay back on the grass. He closed his eyes. "So, it's just us," he said, opening an eye to look at her. When she didn't look away he opened both eyes and watched her. She blushed a little and pulled her knees up to her chest. She wrapped her arms around her legs, hugging herself. But she didn't shy away from his watch. They stayed there for a while, looking at each other until Hinata realized how long they had been there and said "Um, Shikamaru, we should go." "You're probably right," he said as he watched her. He sat up, stretching his back, and got to his feet. Hinata pushed herself to her feet and walked towards the market place. She'd decided she wanted dumplings. She heard Shikamaru follow her. He seemed a little hesitant, as if he wasn't sure whether or not he should follow her. She stopped and looked over her shoulder at him, waiting for him to catch up. This time she took his hand, and that seemed to make his mind up. They walked through the market place, looking at each of the stalls until Hinata found some dumplings and bought them. Shikamaru bought some noodles and they headed to the bridge where the others were supposed to waiting. On their way over they spotted Sakura and Ino still making their own way over to the bridge. "At least we're not the only ones that are late," Shikamaru said. Hinata nodded in agreement. They caught up with Ino and Sakura and the four of them walked to the bridge where the others were all waiting.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Fifteen**

_It's good to be alive_

_I was lost and I was gone_

_I was almost dead inside_

_You and me against the world_

_It's a beautiful night_

_It's good to be alive_

Shikamaru sat with his friends under the bridge by the water's edge talking. They had been sitting there for a couple of hours already and the conversation was slowly but surely dropping. It wouldn't be long now before the first of them left. The conversation turned from one subject to another, sometimes breaking up into many smaller conversations among two or three people. The conversation was moving along with less enthusiasm now. "Well," Shino said, "I guess I'll be going now." He stood. "Good idea Shino," Tenten said standing, "time to hit the sack." Neji looked over at Shikamaru. He gave him an almost unnoticeable nod. Neji got to his feet. "I too will go home," he turned to Hinata, "I'll see you at home later." "Yes brother," she said. The three of them headed for home after their farewells, leaving Shikamaru, Hinata, Chouji Ino and Sakura still under the bridge. "Man, I'm tired!" Chouji complained. "Then go home, dufus!" Ino said, exasperated. "Actually I think I'll head home too," Sakura piped in. "Aw ok," Ino said, a little defeated. Chouji and Sakura stood. "I guess I will too then," Ino huffed. Sakura helped her to her feet. "What about you?" she turned to Shikamaru and Hinata. "Not yet," he replied. "Ok, but not too late you hear Shikamaru?" He rolled his eyes mockingly. "Yes Ino."

Hinata stood. We'll walk you to the top. Shikamaru got up lazily and followed the others to the top of the bridge. "See ya guys," he said, waiting for Hinata to do the same. "Bye everyone!" she said cheerily. "Bye Hinata," Ino said, "you'd better behave Shikamaru. If not, I'll have your head. Let me know Hinata, ok?" "Um, sure Ino," she replied. Ino and Sakura started walking away but Chouji took a moment. "See ya Shikamaru," he said before following the girls. "Yeah, see ya round Chouji." Once Chouji was far enough away he turned to Hinata. "Well, it's just you and me again," he said. "Hmm," she looked thoughtful. She wandered onto the bridge and leaned against the rails, looking out over the water. He followed, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. He felt her stiffen a little. He leaned forward and rested his chin on her shoulder and after a moment she relaxed, leaning into him. "I wonder what our mission will be," she said, staring at the moons reflection on the rippling water. "Who knows, the Hokage will give me just about anything these days from D rank to S rank. It's a drag," he replied, "but we'll find out after tomorrow." They stood silently for a while in the embrace until Hinata said "It's late, we should go." Shikamaru meekly agreed and released her. "I'll walk you home," he said, not really leaving her a choice. She slipped her hand into his. "Come on then," she started walking.

They walked in silence, just enjoying each other's company, until they came to Neji's house. He looked down at Hinata. She seemed happier; light hearted, and he suspected it was because she was staying with Neji and Hizashi, rather than at the Hyuuga estate, constantly under Hiashi's watch. They stopped outside the house. "I guess I'll see you later," he said to her. She looked up at him. "Yeah," she agreed, "thank you Shikamaru." She let go of his hand and he watched her go as she went inside. Once the door was closed and locked behind her he headed for home. As he walked his thoughts turned to the mission he and Hinata were about to be sent on. _Why just me and her? I get that we're a little short handed right now, but still, just the two of us?_ He decided to forget about it and just wait until Tsunade told them what they were in for. He huffed, the cold night air filling his lungs. He quickened his pace, eager to get home. He thought about how Hinata had been with him that night. _She's different… somehow._ Before tonight, if he went near her she would always put someone between them (usually Shino). She would not look at him, always darting her gaze away if their eyes met, and she was normally not very forthcoming in conversation either. _Tonight though…._ Tonight, although he had made 'first contact', she hadn't shied away from him like she had so many times before. _What changed?_ He wondered. Shikamaru stepped up to the door of his house and rummaged through his pockets for his keys. After going through them all he remembered that he'd left them on his drawers when Sakura had come to 'collect' him. _Damn_. He looked up at his bedroom window… which was still open. _Well…_ It wasn't like he had much choice. There was a small shelter above the front door. Stepping back, he reached his hands up and jumped, grabbing hold of the roof of the shelter and pulling himself up. _What a drag_. His bedroom window was off to his left, too far for him to get from where he was directly to his window. _Well, up I go again_. Reaching up, he jumped and gripped the edge of the roof, trying to make as little noise as possible. If he woke his dad, Shikaku would just laugh at him. If he woke his mum though… _That's a whole other story_. He shuddered at the thought of it. With a lot of effort he heaved himself up onto the roof. He sat for a moment, panting slightly, before sliding across the roof so that he was directly above his bedroom window. He sat and swung his legs over the edge and lowered himself onto the window sill. He grabbed the window frame to steady himself before quietly jumping down onto his bedroom floor. He breathed out a deep sigh of relief. He turned to window and closed it, drawing his curtain over it and block any light from the street outside. Turning to his bed he pulled of his shirt and dumped it on the floor beside the clothes he'd left there that morning. He took of his shoes and pushed them back under his bed. The cold from outside had seeped into his room because his father had left his window open. _Now it will stay cold_. He climbed into bed and pulled the bed covers over him. He stared into the empty blac of his room for a while before drifting off to sleep.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Sixteen**

_I will burn, I will burn for you_

_With fire and fury. Fire and fury._

_My heart hurts, my heart hurts for you_

_Your love burns within me with fire and fury_

Hinata was sitting at the table with Neji eating breakfast when Hizashi came in. "Hinata, would you show me that technique of yours today?" he asked. "Hinata looked over at Neji, who seemed to have no complaints. "Yes uncle," she said. He nodded, pleased, and joined them at the table. "Hinata leaves again tomorrow," Neji said to his father. "Another mission? Good. Rest up then. After you show me that technique though," Hizashi said. "Of course, uncle," she replied. The three of them sat in silence for the rest of breakfast. Once Hizashi had finished eating and was sipping on some hot tea, Hinata cleared the table and cleaned up. Afterwards she excused herself and returned to her room to lie down. She knew Hizashi wouldn't want to go out to see her technique until later, and she had stayed out quite late last night with Shikamaru. She dozed off.

A _tap,tap,tap_ at her door woke her up. "Hinata?" it was Neji. "Come in," she called out to him. The door slid open and Neji stepped in. "You've been in here for a few hours," he said, "father wants to go now." She looked sleepily up at him. "Ok, five minutes," she said, pushing herself out of bed. Neji nodded and left the room, sliding the door closed behind him. She walked over to where her clean clothes were hanging in the room drying. She checked them to see if they were dry and grabbed them. She took off her old clothes and put her new ones on. She put her shoes one and hurried out of the room. Neji and Hizashi were waiting for her by the door. "Sorry to keep you waiting," she said, stepping outside. Hizashi closed and locked the door. "Let's go then," he said, taking the lead. Neji and Hinata followed him to the training grounds. On the way there Neji was strictly emphasizing that even though they were going to the training grounds to do this, it was not training but strictly a demonstration. The day was much warmer now, the time being past lunch time. As they got closer to the training grounds they bumped into Lee and Tenten. "Hello guys! What is going on?" Lee asked enthusiastically. "Hinata is just going to show me something she's been working on," Hizashi replied, not slowing his pace. "Mind if we join?" Tenten asked casually. "That's up to Hinata," Neji said. Tenten looked over at her, "Hinata?" "I don't mind," she said. "Great, thanks!" Tenten replied. They were on the training grounds now and Hinata began looking for an area with some big boulders or trees. Spotting a small cluster of decently sized boulders, Hinata moved towards them. "Have you used it on these before?" Neji asked her. "Yes brother," was all she said. She moved close enough to the boulders so that they were within range of her Gentle Fist before she stopped. Activating her Byakugan, she moved into the Gentle Fist stance. She stood in her stance long enough to build up the chakra in her hands before launching into the jutsu. Her hand flew towards the boulder, releasing chakra needles and cracking the stone. She brought up her other hand, faster than the other, and released a greater concentration of chakra needles, bringing the whole rock to shattering point. She spun around and brought her foot up to collide with the rock. A loud shattering crack reverberated through the area as stone chunks went flying away from her. As the last piece of rock landed with a dull _thud_ on the grass, Hinata clenched her hands into fists, building up excessive amounts of Chakra to form a protective barrier around her hands. The chakra was visible now, a blue shield around her fists. She turned to the next rock and drove her fist into it. Her arm was completely embedded in the rock. She released all the chakra she had gathered in her hand, not in the form on needles, but as one big force that had a devastating effect. The rock shattered into hundreds of smaller pieces that went flying so far that her audience had to dodge a few chunks. She herself managed to dodge or deflect all the chunks with her Gentle Fist, but as soon as the rock had shattered, while she was still bringing her hand up to kick into the Gentle Fist again she had been hit by some of the small rock shards. She would feel that tomorrow. She came to a stop, surveying the area. She turned and headed over to the small group standing at the edge of the field. As she got closer she realized that someone else had joined them. _Shikamaru_. She stopped a few meters away. "Uncle?" she said questioningly. "Very good Hinata," he said. She beamed. "Thank you uncle," she said, smiling. "Are you coming home?" Neji asked. "No cousin, not yet," she said, "I'm going to Ichiraku." Neji nodded and he and his father turned to leave. "Wait Neji!" Tenten called, "come with Lee and I, we're going for lunch." Neji looked at his father who nodded approval.

Hinata moved to leave, heading for Ichiraku. "Wait Hinata," she slowed her pace until Shikamaru fell into step beside her, "what's up?" She glanced at him sideways. "N..nothing really," she replied. There was a moment of silence before he tried again to pick up the conversation. "So tomorrow we get given our mission," he said, waiting to see if she'd carry on. She did. "I wonder why it's just you and me Shikamaru," she said thoughtfully. Shikamaru seemed to hesitate with his answer. "I just came from the Hokage's office. She called me in this morning to give me the details, seeing as I will be team leader…" he trailed off. "What's the mission?" she asked. He looked at her. "You sure you don't want to wait until tomorrow to find out?" he answered her question with another. They arrived at Ichiraku. "I'd like to know now," she paused, "if you'll tell me." They sat at the bench. The shop owner came out from the back. "What can I get for you?" he asked cheerily. "Pork ramen please," Hinata said. "I'll get the same," Shikamaru echoed. "Sure thing," the owner nodded and went out back to make it. "Well then, as to our mission tomorrow," Shikamaru carried on from earlier, "we are being sent to a small village near the border of the land of Rain. We're being sent there for a month." "But why so long?" Hinata asked a little surprised. Shikamaru continued. "We will be trying to gather as much information as we can about a group of bandits in the area. Our job is to find out what we can and report it back to Tsunade. Then she will decide what needs to be done about them and if need be she will send us a team and we'll take care of them." Their food arrived and Hinata tucked into her steaming ramen. They ate together in silence for a while before Shikamaru said "We'll be posing as a young couple moving into their new home."


End file.
